Desperately Searching
by Fly On By
Summary: We're all desperately searching; for life, for safety, for survival, for love. When Sabrina stumbles upon the group, she adapts to their lifestyle. But when things go bad, decisions have to be made for the better of the group, and love triangles go awry, will she have enough to make her stay?
1. Chapter 1

Four more days, that's how long my 'safe haven' was supposed to hold out for. Four more days of ccarefree and relatively safe living, bountiful food, and for the most part, silence. My wooden barrier I had nailed onto my door was supposed to last, but it, much like my food supply, was quickly diminishing. One thing that I had a plethora of was bullets, the only thing that could keep me safe from the danger that resided outside my door.

I heard a pounding outside and my eyes quickly darted to the door. The cheap wood was breaking apart from the constant banging coming from the other side. It wasn't going to hold out for much longer. As I heard more of the sickening moaning coming from outside, I decided to take action. Running to my room I grabbed a backpack and started filling it with necessary survival supplies. Canned foods, first aid kit, and of course, my gun and spare ammo.

There was another crash at the door, and the sound of was getting worse. The horrid sound was as if they were gasping for breath, but snarling at the same time. It came out as a menacing cry that struck fear in one's soul and each person knew brought death in its wake.

My heartbeat quickened as I saw they had broken through my barricade, and were infesting my sanctuary. I frantically looked around the room, hearing their cries become louder and louder, searching for an exit. I caught sight of a window to the left of my intruders. Knowing it was the only somewhat plausible way out, pulled out my pistol.

"God, if you get me through this…." I murmured to myself, a pitiful excuse for a prayer, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

I made my way forward, closer to the death cries of the horde in front of me. There were at least two that would need to be eliminated before I could reach my exit. I aimed my gun and quickly shot at the first one's head with a decent amount of precision. It hit right above the left eye, but was close enough to cause the skull to be demolished.

After shooting two more of them, I finally reached my exit, and quickly opened it. Luckily the window led to the escape ladder of my building complex and I practically jumped out and closed the window behind me, hearing their cries and smashing one's fingers as it tried to come after me.

"Damn." I said, as I looked at the mass that had gathered in my living room. Knowing that the gunshot would have caused more to come to my spot, I decided to move quickly. You see Walkers are attracted to sound. Anything causes them to follow, car alarms, gun shots, and even the screams of the survivors. After trying to move down the loud fire escape steps quickly but quietly, I made my way to the edge of the ally and carefully glanced around the corner to see what I had in store.

I soon found that this was a mistake for there were about 20 walkers roaming around aimlessly, blank expressions covering their repulsively rotten faces, their only objective to consume the living's flesh. They looked like an idiot trying to understand the intellectual banter of a genius. Most of their body parts remained intact; however some had the most gruesome faces. A few of them had bodies that were eaten away before they turned, so they were a walking mass of half-eaten epithelium.

As I looked at the mass of Walkers blocking my way, I could feel my breakfast threatening to make another appearance. What was I going to do? My only hope was to make a mad dash for it. The only way I could make it, was if I started sprinting now, before they got any closer.

I took off in the next second, and when I heard the desolate cry of a Walker, my adrenaline kicked in. I glanced behind me; they were a decent ways off. Not wanting to take any chances I kept pushing myself at that harsh pace.

My lips started to form something that would vaguely resemble a smile, as nowadays smiling was a very uncommon thing for most. But it soon diminished into a thin line as I looked ahead of me. More Walkers were coming, probably to investigate the loud gunshot I had previously fired. Starting to panic, I ran into a side street without thinking.

I sprinted down the backstreet and took a left which left me at a dead end. My heart sunk, the shrieking cries getting louder by the second. I did a quick look around my room, hoping no praying for an escape. Glancing upward I yelled, "You know, it'd be nice for…something!"

The demons were getting closer and I could almost feel their hot breath upon my face, their arms out grabbing, trying to get a hold of me. The one in front was, or used to be, a man, half of his mouth was eaten away, and his flesh was decaying in several places. I could smell their pungent and vile stench. I moved as far back as I could, my back against the wall, waiting for my demise.

Right when I thought it all inevitable, a car zoomed by and stopped at the mouth of the alley, it's sirens blaring. This momentarily distracted the zombies, and attracted them toward the source. Several stayed behind as the car zoomed off, but this was not a problem, for I was trained in close combat. In an attempt to gain some sort of advantage, I quickly pulled out my short sword. As I pulled it out, the sun glimmered along the blade as if blessing it.

The first one was at a quicker walk than the rest, but it was no match for my ancient marvel. I effortlessly beheaded the beast. I attacked with a harsh brutality and had no room for mistakes. I had killed three and was on my last one when the car appeared again, however this time, without the sirens. I quickly beheaded the Walker, and made my way cautiously towards the vehicle.

I knew that in situations like these, some survivors can get rather intense, so I knew to choose my words carefully.

"Get in the car!" I voice cried out, it was definitely masculine and had a southern accent to it. I jogged to the car, scared about more walkers coming, and hopped in the backseat, where I was accompanied by four other men, including the driver who had called out to me.

"Have you been scratched?" Another country man asked me, as he practically spit in my face. When I was too shocked to respond, he aimed his crossbow at my head. "Have ya?"

I shook my head wordlessly; eying his short brown hair, goatee, and scowl with disdain.

"Bitten? Any contact?" He asked just as violently.

"No." I said confidently. "No contact whatsoever."

Just as he was about to ask me another question and aim his crossbow even closer to my face, the man who was driving placed a hand on his arm and said, "That's enough Daryl. You're gonna scare the poor girl."

I looked in the mirror and saw the driver. He had short brown hair that, unlike the man named Daryl, was tamed in an almost wavy like manner. His eyes were a light brown, and showed many emotions. By the way he shushed Daryl I believed that he must have been the leader of this band of misfits.

"What's your name?" He asked his country accent quite prominent as well.

Taking my gaze away from his and directing it outside, I replied, "Sabrina."

A young looking Asian man started talking this time, but in a much cheerier manner. "Hi I'm Glenn." He held his hand for a shake, and then pointed to the large burly man sitting next to him and said, "That there's T-Dog."

"Hey." T-Dog murmured uninterested, as he watched the scenic land fly by, one desolate and abandoned house after another.

Glenn continued his introduction and said, "Yeah well, Daryl's the one that pointed his crossbow at your face. And Rick's driving."

Rick tipped his hat at me and said, "Pleasure."

I gave a half-heated smile and broke the uncomfortable silence with, "Uhm thanks…for back there."

Rick flashed me his white teeth. "Don't worry about it. Just glad we could help someone." He fixed his eyes back on the road, his lips forming a straight line, his mind mulling over something quite perplexing as you could practically see his brain working, like a machine set on high its wheels rolling at a harsh speed.

T-Dog sat in the passenger seat, his eyes glued to the window, not quite focusing on the outside world. His chest was moving in a panting motion, quickly rising and falling, his face locked in a scowl. I turned to look at Glenn, he gave me a big goofy grin that seemed to reflect his personality. He had short black hair covered by a large baseball cap. Completely opposite to him was Daryl, a straight up country boy with slightly longer hair and a gritty expression.

We drove in silence for several minutes, and then we started pulling up a large hill, and eventually to a small camp. There was a large RV and several tents adorning the camp, with a forest as a scenic backdrop. As we pulled up, two blondes came out of the RV and a woman with long brown hair and a young boy stood up to look at who was coming, the woman placing a protective hand on the boy who I assumed to be her son.

The first to get out were T-Dog, Daryl, and Glenn, leaving Rick and I in the car for a few brief moments. I reluctantly looked out towards the wary people, each with curious yet accusing gaze in my direction. Noticing my reluctance, Rick tried to comfort me, "Don't worry, we don't bite." He joked, opening the door to get out of the car.

I followed suit, and was the object of everyone's glances. "Uhm. Hey." I said.

Glenn, being the cheerful Asian man he was, turned out to be quite the host. "Well guys, this is Sabrina! We found her in the city." He turned to me, "Sabrina this is Amy and Andrea, their sisters." Two blonde girls nodded at me, one with a slight scowl the other with a smile.

"Carol, her husband Ed, and her daughter Sophia." A woman who had very short hair, shaved in fact, was being watched protectively by a chubby man with an angry scowl on his face. The little girl, who was in between her mother's arms, looked up at me with terrified eyes.

He then pointed to a family that looked relatively Hispanic, a mother, daughter, son, and husband. "And these are Miranda, Louis, Morales, and Eliza.

"And over here is Jim. Then over by Rick are his wife Lori and his son Carl." He pointed to the woman who was protectively holding her son before. "And that's pretty much everyone."

People muttered their welcomes and then solemnly went back to their tents or whatever busy work they were doing before we arrived. "Ah who is this?" an elderly man came out of the RV and asked, with a nice expression on his face.

I smiled in return, "Hi I'm Sabrina, nice to meet you."

"I'm Dale, resident old man. It's a pleasure." He said shaking my hand with a firm grip.

I softly laughed at his words. "So what do you guys do here?" I questioned.

"Survive." Was his response, "It's all we can do. But we make by with what we have. Daryl hunts, the lake down there is our water supply, and we have shifts to keep watch. It's a decent system."

"Does everyone sleep in those tents?" I asked, pointing to the tents that were located dangerously close to the ominous forest.

He shook his head, "Not everyone, but most of them. Andrea, Amy, and I are the only ones who utilize it."

"That's a shame, wouldn't it be much more safe for everyone to sleep in there?"

He contemplated this for a second and then responded, "Well not necessarily, if a whole bunch of walkers come, than they can tip this thing over. Or worse, we could walk right outside to a whole horde."

I shuttered at his words, picturing a scenario like that. "But at least you can drive away. In those tents, you can only sit there."

"Smart girl." He said with a kind smile.

"So Sabrina, like what you see?" He said with a smile, gesturing to the camp.

"China, give it up. You ain't gunna get in her pants." A new came came up. He was tall with short black hair and a thin lining of stubble along his chin. He had on a black t-shirt, that was somewhat fitted and showed off his nicely sculpted muscles. He smiled at me, "I'm Shane."

I smiled back and replied, "Sabrina."

Glenn pouted like a puppy that was just scolded by its master and mumbled, "And you think you will…."

I laughed at his words, and Shane just waved him off. "So where'd you come from?" He questioned.

"I was in Atlanta, and thankfully Rick saved me." I said as I slightly shuttered as I realized what could have happened had they not saved me. It was almost as if Shane rolled his eyes at my mention of Rick, there was obviously some tension.

"Oh saved by the great hero?" He said giving a slight push to Rick who chose that moment to walk up. Rick just smiled and shook his head.

"So Sabrina, about your sleeping arrangements…" Rick said, trailing off as if he was unsure of something. "Well there really isn't that much room in the RV for you and most of the tents are full…except the one with Glenn and Shane…"

I looked at the two men who I'd be sharing a tent with, the two of them contrasting in many different ways. Shane was a mysterious and very confident being, whereas Glenn was a more shy and goody kind of man. I looked back at Rick and his unsure smile. He had changed and was now wearing a plain white T-shirt with a pair of old blue jeans. His hair was still in its almost tousled waves, untouched.

I smiled at Rick and said, "Yeah that's great thanks."

He smiled back at me and said, "No problem." Our eyes met and neither of us looked away for a moment. Hazel orbs met grayish ones, almost in a trace, as if neither could break apart. I looked away when Lori arrived, feeling guilty for some peculiar reason.

She had a stern, protective look on her face as she walked up, scrutinizing me with her eyes. Her long brown hair passing her shoulders in an almost perfect manner. I found it odd that she would have such kept hair during times like these. It hardly seemed fit. She gave me a sort of menacing look, and then proceeded to kiss her husband passionately.

"Are you two ready to eat?" She asked, then replacing her once stern glare with an almost kind, motherly one.

I nodded vigorously and they both laughed. "Good then, Dale's cooked up somethin' special." We proceeded to the camp fire where several aromas attacked our noses, most of them pleasant. I could smell roasted venison alongside some sort of vegetable that had turned a dark color in the pan. Carl came over and pulled his mother and father to a corner where he handed them each a plate. I smiled at the little boy when he looked at me, innocence gleaming in his eyes.

Dale walked up to me and handed me a plate, "Here, s'not much, but it's somethin'."

I thanked him and sat down on a log by myself, observing the survivors. Most of them sectioned off into families, or makeshift ones. Lori, Carl, and Rick were sitting in one corner, giggling about something that Carl said. Morales and his wife were making their two kids eat. Amy and Andrea were listening to some story Dale was telling them. Daryl and Glenn were arguing about something, using exaggerated hand motions and their faces getting red. Sophia and her mother were eating quietly while Ed glared at everyone, including his wife.

I dug into my own food, happy to have a decent meal for once. While I was lost in my thoughts, a man came and sat beside me, quietly consuming his dinner. I noticed as he glanced around the fire, furtively keeping his eye on one person in particular. "Does Rick know?" I asked.

Shane looked at me and replied, "What are you talkin about?"

I gave him a skeptical look, "Don't play me. You know very well what I'm talkin' about." I scolded.

"Nothing happened." He said, "Nothing. Not that it's any of your business." He said, starting to get on the defensive.

"Come on, it's obvious!" I chided, keeping my voice low so no one could hear. I saw his muscles in his neck tense for a moment and when he turned to me, I flinched, bracing myself for what was coming.

He seemed to notice my flinch and visibly softened up. "It don't matter."

I took this as a sign to shut up and turned back to my food, pushing it around the plate a couple times before actually taking a bite. I heard him sigh and look at me. When I didn't look up, he kept on looking at me, watching me eat. I looked around the campsite and noticed Rick was looking at me. He smiled when I met his gaze and I gave a half smile back.

"Want to go for a walk before it gets too dark?" Shane asked me.

"Sure." I replied cheerily, wanting to get a little relaxing time in. He took my plate and helped me up. He seemed pretty kind, for the most part. He grabbed a gun and I made sure mine was still in its holster and we started on our walk down the hill.

"So what's up with those shoes?" He asked me, laughing as he saw my shoes once again.

I laughed as well as I looked at the sight of my beat up tennis shoes. I had taken duct tape to the soles because they were falling apart. I used soccer sweet spots to make sure my laces stayed tied in the event of a chase, and I had sewn a couple of patches of fabric onto the shoe.

"Well." I started and he laughed. "That duct tape was put there because the soles were falling apart! I swear I was called Ghetto for a week!"

He laughed and smiled, "Okay, well what about those patches? What in the world are those for?"

"My toes were getting cold." I said seriously.

He laughed rather boisterously at this one, shaking his head at me. "Oh lord. And what is that bizarre band around your laces?"

"Oh those are called sweet spots! Their used on soccer cleats to make sure your shoes stay tied, and they help with your touch and your shot. And I put them on there just in case I get chased by Walkers, don't want my shoes gettin' untied."

"Genius." He said somewhat surprised.

We had walked to the edge of some cliff, and below us was a large lake. The moonlight was reflecting off it in an almost peaceful manner. There was a brief breeze that blew some leaves off the tree. In all the madness I'd forgotten about the seasons. This meant it was going to get colder soon, something that I loved. I closed my eyes in a second of relaxation, happy that I was able to have fun with someone for a few seconds.

I looked at Shane, but before I could speak we heard a scream coming from the direction of the camp. "Shit." He said as we bolted in the direction of the campsite.

We arrived in less than two minutes, somewhat out of breath and shocked at the site before us. Walkers were infesting the campsite, moaning and reaching out for the person nearest to their reach. Shane quickly shot several in the head, finally killing them.

I swiftly removed my gun from its holster, and aimed at several Walkers with a deadly accuracy. We moved closer to the camp, and I shot another Walker, one of the more grotesque looking ones, right between the eyes, or what was left of them. I proceeded forward and called out, "Everyone! Get in the RV!"

With tears in their eyes, the mothers went in first. I had everyone's back and was shooting at several walkers that were coming closer. After a few moments, pretty much everyone was in the RV with the exception of Rick, Shane, Daryl and me. Daryl was utilizing his crossbow with a remarkable efficiency. We were fighting off a mini horde, an almost endless supply of Walkers. We unconsciously split up to fight more ourselves. I moved toward the left and fought off at least 7 walkers, until my small pistol ran out of bullets. Cursing, I searched myself for more ammo.

My back pockets? No, shit is it getting closer? I looked up the walker was indeed making its way closer. I searched my pockets, and my sweater for the smallest bit of ammo. The walker was two arms length away. I said a silent prayer. One and a half. Brace yourself. One. The sound of a gunshot ringed.

I looked behind me, to the source of the sound. I saw Rick standing there, his gun still aimed at the direction the walker was. Sweat was slowly making its way down his forehead.

"Thanks." I muttered softly.

He let out a huge sigh of relief, "No problem."

Shane walked up to us, assessing the situation with his eyes. "I think that's the last of 'em."

Daryl walked up to the one that came close to me and kicked it, "Piece of shit."

"Help!" I heard someone call out and we all rushed over to the side of the RV. Andrea was sitting over her sister, tears streaming down both their faces. "Well don't just stand there! Help me!" She screamed at us.

I looked at the men, their faces grim and unsure. Since no one else made a move to assist her, I proceeded to. I looked at the young girl on the ground. She was visibly sweating and breathing heavily. Two wounds are visible on the young girl, one on her neck with blood pouring out, a second on her arm, revealing her flesh.

Sucking in air I looked at Andrea, "I…I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do." I said sympathetically. I gestured toward Daryl to come forward with his silent crossbow. He sauntered up and aimed it at Amy reluctantly.

"No! Stop!" Amy said standing up quickly and placing herself in what would have been Daryl's line of fire. She dropped her head, "I'll do it."

We all looked at her, but decided to give her some space so we moved towards the center of the campsite. Rick spoke up first. "How many others?"

We saw Sofia and Carol water eyed but not crying. Carol spoke up, "Ed's over there." She pointed over in the direction of her tent. All of us went over to his body, a half eaten lump of flesh.

"Don't worry ma'am, well take care of 'em for you." Rick said, looking around for a weapon. He spotted a pickaxe and went over to grab it. However before he could make sure Ed stayed dead, Carol surprisingly spoke up.

"No, I can do it." She reached for the pickaxe and Rick unenthusiastically handed it to her. She took it and went over to her husband's body. A brief look of anger flared in her eyes right before she hit him, but it was soon covered up by a look of mixed sadness and vengeance. She hit him brutally several times and then she broke down in tears.

The men quickly took the pickaxe away from her so I brought her back to the campfire and set her down on a log. She was a little shaky, but not that bad. "He hit me you know." She spoke her voice hoarse at first but then she cleared her throat. "He hit me, and this is what he gets."

We sat in a solemn silence for a moment and then I spoke up, "Someone once told me that payback really is a bitch."

She choked on a laugh, a few lone tears streaming down her face. "We're all goin' to die aren't we? We're all goin' to die and there ain't a damn thing we can do about it." She finished and got up and took her daughter into the RV.

I sat there for a little while, pondering everything that had happened today. I felt an odd need to help these people, though there wasn't much I could do myself. Today I had met a group of people who were strong enough to survive, a group of people dedicated to keeping some sort of humanity somewhat prominent. I tried thinking of where we could go, what we could do, surprising myself at the fact that I felt so strongly towards these people. While glancing around the campfire at dinner I noticed something, even though they are complete opposites, even though their different people from different places, and though they had their separate spots around the fire, they all were willing to jump up and protect one another.


	2. Chapter 2: FlipFlop

_Thank you for all the reviews! They mean so much to me! I hope you guys like this chapter, I'm a little iffy about it myself. Sorry for the delay, I had a slight writers block and 10th grade classes are very intense!_

_Special Thanks To:_

_supernaturallover1098: Thank you! Your my very first review for this story! I hope you like this next chapter!_

_Leyshla: Thank you! And I hope to keep updating more often!_

_KagHieiLuver: Your wish is my command!_

_Nelle07: You know, I'm starting to like Daryl alot more this season! He's actually super funny!_

_Abbll:Thank you! And yes, I love the both of them :)_

_holly: Why yes :)_

_and also a special thanks to those who reviewed this story on roamers and lurkers :)_

**Chapter 2: Flip-Flop**

That night I didn't feel like sleeping so I decided to take the first watch shift. We decided that after the evening's insanity, we would pack up all the tents and compress everyone into the RV, in the occurrence that we would need a hurried departure. Sighing, I pulled myself up to the top of the RV and sat down, my gun taking up residence next to me.

It was almost a serene moment, the wind rustling through the trees, the full moon illuminating the campsite, and the soft hums of the sleeping forest. I listened to the people going to bed inside the RV. Carol was trying to hush Sophia's quiet cries, Lori was singing to Carl, and the rest of the people, much too old to be worried about lullabies, were shuffling around trying to discover a suitable space to sleep.

"Daryl, I was going to sleep there!" Glenn whined; I could almost see the boyish pout that would be gracing his young features.

I heard Daryl scoff, "Yeah, and your point is?"

I heard whimpers below me and leaned over to look. Andrea was cradling her sister as if she was a baby, the blood evident on her arms. She was rocking back and forth slowly, and seemed to be muttering something that sounded like an apology. Leaning back, I was left with thoughts of my own family, which caused my eyes to tear up. I was wiping at them when I heard something struggle to get onto the RV and made a bee line for my gun, quickly aiming it at the intruder.

"S'just me." Rick said, his hands up in a surrendering motion.

I lowered my gun and flashed him a modest smile, "Sorry, you can never be too careful. Couldn't sleep either?"

"Somethin like that." He replied, glancing out at the forest.

"Is it always like this?" I asked, and when he gave me a weird look I said, "What I mean is, do you guys get…attacked a lot?"

"You know, I'm not so sure. I'm actually new here myself." He spoke, his voice getting a little rough.

I gave him an inquiring look, what did he mean by new here, wasn't he married to Lori? "But, uhm, aren't you and Lori?" I asked, trailing off and looking at the forest so he couldn't see my slight blush. Why was I blushing? Oh god, don't let me get into any bigger mess.

He chuckled and I was too embarrassed to see if he was amused at my blush or what I had asked. "Yeah she's my wife, cept I haven't been here all that long. See I was in a coma when all this went down. Shot on the job, and Shane, you know him the one you went on a walk with," I heard a hint of some sentiment in his voice that I couldn't quite place. "He brought Lori and Carl here, thank god. And when I woke up, I met this man and his son, and they told me Atlanta was some sort of safe haven. I went there and, man there were so many walkers. More than when we found you! In my state of panic, I hid in tank that was surrounded by walkers. Then Glenn talked to me through the radio and helped me get out. And lucky me, he took me to this camp and here they were."

He finished his story with a tremendous smile; I couldn't help but smile as well. It was such a joyful story, almost like it was all planned, almost too true to be authentic. "That sounds amazing, thanks for tellin me your life story." I teased and his cheeks faintly reddened.

"Well…I…Uh" He tried, but I just laughed.

"Don't worry I'm just teasin ya." I stretched; the Georgian heat was getting to me, even though it was night time, it was like I could almost sense the sun on my skin. I eyed Rick who fortunately didn't seem like he was looking at me, so I decided that I could remove my balmy flannel, leaving me rather exposed in just a tight tank top that didn't entirely cover my hips.

I heard Rick cough and I glanced over and could see his eyes had gotten slightly larger. For some reason that made me smile. I mentally scolded myself; I couldn't be trying to seduce a married man! That went against my morals even during an apocalypse! My face turned red I looked out at the woods.

Deciding to spark up conversation amidst the silence, I said, "So Rick, let me guess you were a cop?"

He laughed and said, "Guilty is charged. How'd you know?"

I gave him a joking shrug and turned to face him. "Well first of all, it's how you hold yourself."

He gave me a look and said, "Oh really?"

"Mhm. Shoulders back, strong confident gait. Yup, definitely a cop."

He laughed, "Okay what else?"

"You also said you were shot on the job, that means either you are a con man, military man, or a cop. You seem too…reliable to be a con man, and a military man isn't your forte. So I went with cop." I concluded with a confident smile.

"Alright Miss Psychic, what did you do before all this?" He asked. It was almost like he was flirting with me.

I giggled at him and pretended to be reading a crystal ball. "My crystal ball says that it is for me to know, and you to find out."

He chuckled and said, "Touche."

We sat there smiling at each other, the first few moments of happiness I've have in a while. A few weeks past and now I was much more accustomed to this camp of survivors. I've become part of their makeshift family and it seemed as if I was right next to Rick on their rank of leaders, which was something I was rather grateful for. After the attack, we were all torn on what we should do. Our choices were to follow Shane to Fort Beninng where there was supposed to be some safe haven, or we could follow Rick and go to the CDC, where we could find some answers. After a rather harsh debate we decided on following Rick and we were on our way to the CDC. Our group was slightly less people now that Morales decided that he and his family were going to the other Hispanics in Atlanta.

"Are we there yet?" Carl asked his face scrunching up into a pout.

I laughed and said, "Carl I'll tell you what, let's play a game!" What could I say the boy was too cute, and if you can't beat em, join em!

"Yes! Can Sophia play too! Please? Please Sabrina!" He begged giving me his huge almost puppy dog eyes.

I nodded and he literally jumped for joy, "Yay! Sophia come over here were going to play a game with Sabrina!" He shouted and darted off to the back of the RV where Lori, Carol, and Sophia were. Rick gave me a smile and mouthed, "Thank you." And I just shrugged in return.

Soon the children came back to sit with me, massive smiles on their youthful faces. "Sabrina what are we going to play?" Sophia said in her soft and timid voice.

"Ah yes the game. Have you ever played…"I spoke slowly and quietly for suspense. "I spy?"

The both nodded quickly and Carl said, "Oh yes! I love that game, don't you love that game Sophia?" She just nodded bashfully and smiled.

"Okay but the rules are, it can only be in this room in the RV okay?" I asked and they nodded. "Alright I'll go first. Hmm…" I scanned around the room, only once meeting Rick's eye and he gave me a smile. "I spy with my little eye…something… Red!"

They both shouted out millions of answers. "The carpet!" "That book!" "This pillow?' and finally, after several minutes of random guessing, Carl found out that it was Glenn's socks.

"I should either be flattered that you noticed my socks, or kind of creeped out…" He said and everyone laughed.

"My turn! Right?" Carl asked, beaming because he was so proud of himself.

"Yes Carl, it's your turn." I said with a chuckle.

He sat there with a look of pure contemplation on his face, he wanted to find the perfect item. Something we wouldn't get. "Oh yes! Okay I spy with my little eye…something handsome and nice!"

We all gave him a weird look. Handsome? Oh he must be talking about himself! I gave him a look and said, "Well let me guess, you're talking about you aren't cha?"

He shook his head and laughed, "Nope!"

This really puzzled me and I looked around at everyone, they were just as equally puzzled. I looked over at Sophia. She was blushing slightly and looking at Carl. Aw young love! This is too adorable! "So Sophia, any ideas?"

She blushed furiously and shook her head quite rapidly in response. I laughed and said, "You know Carl if it's not you…I have no idea! Sophia do you think it's safe to say that we give up, yeah?"

She nodded and Carl said, "Okay fine! It's my dad!"

We all looked at Rick who actually seemed to be blushing! Everyone started smiling and some even laughed. "What, you guys don't think my dad is handsome?" Carl said, a devastated look on his face. "Sabrina, don't you think that my dad is handsome?"

It was my turn to blush and I avoided all eye contact. "Well…I erm….Oh look doesn't that say CDC?" I pointed out the window to a large building that we came to a complete stop at.

"Alright everybody out!" Dale said cheerfully.

I let out a loud breath that I didn't know I was holding. I had honestly not seen the CDC and was just kind of guessing. Who knows what would await us in that building. Walkers? People? Civilization? Hell? I watched at most people left the van except for Rick and I, he caught my eye and gave me a reassuring smile, that oddly gave me a little more confidence.

We both jumped out and he quickly held his gun at the ready. Daryl quickly had his crossbow at the ready, and Shane held his firearm much like Rick did. Seeing this as optimal time to take out my weapon, I rapidly loaded it and surveyed our surroundings. Rick and Daryl quickly got rid of a few walkers as we all practically sprinted toward the entrance of the building.

When we arrived, we banged on the door mercilessly, due to the large amount of walkers we had attracted to us. I could hear them getting closer; Rick yelling at the camera that whoever was in there was killing us. And right before the walkers came within 5 yards from us, the doors opened and a light shined upon us like a heavenly blessing.

We all hastily ran in and the door was shut behind us. However we weren't fully safe according to the click of a gun being pointed at us. "Are any of you bit?" The man holding a gun asked, shoving it in all of our faces.

Rick spoke up, "One of us was a while back. We took care of it."

He took a good look at all of us. His eyes lingering on each of us for a few moments, searching for signs of bites or scratches. He seemed to be somewhat content and then said, "A blood test. That's the price of admission, a blood test."

Rick glanced over at all of us, confirming that we were all fine. His gazed lingered on me, however he didn't seem like he was actually looking at me, he was more of just spaced out towards my direction. After a few moments it seemed like he finally figured out what he was thinking of and then turned to the man and nodded.

"Alright then, right this way." He said and led us to an elevator. We all quickly followed him into the large elevator and waited.

Carol spoke up, "Are we underground?" She looked nervous and held Sophia to her chest a little tighter.

"Why are you claustrophobic?" He responded and Carol nodded. "Just try not to think about it." The man chuckled. He seemed to be in his mid to late thirties and he had light blonde hair that was a slightly longer than a buzz cut.

Rick held out his hand and said, "Rick Grimes."

"Dr. Edwin Jenner." The doctor met Rick's firm handshake with an equally firm shake. It was a quiet moment as we all listened to the soft hum of the elevator as it slid underground. Everyone looked exhausted yet relieved, relieved to be temporarily safe, or what we hoped would be a safe house.

The doors of the elevator dinged and we were let out into a cold room. Everything about it felt like a sci-fi movie. The walls were practically made out of metal, the room was flooded with wires and different computers, my suspicions were just further confirmed when Dr. Jenner spoke, "Vi, bring up the lights in the big room."

I looked around for someone to flip the light switch and realized that it was rather odd that we had not seen any other people in this underground fortress, it was supposed to be filled with scientists conducting research, searching for a cure to the madness going on beyond their secure walls.

"Welcome to zone five." He said as he gestured to the room with a circle of computer and electronically equipment in the middle. It was almost like a commander's center in the middle of a space ship and the inner nerd inside of me was super excited.

Carl gave me an excited look and I smiled right back and leaned down to whisper in his ear. "Doesn't it look like a spaceship?" The little boy giggled and nodded enthusiastically, earning a reprimanding glare from his mother who was trying to focus on the doctor standing before us.

Rick was the first of our group to speak up and said, "Where is everyone?" a hint of confusion and unease was prominent in his voice. When Dr. Jenner gave him a confused look , he elaborated. "The other Doctors?" He paused and glanced around a little more. "The staff?"

This question made the doctor have a somber and repentant look on his face. He looked away from us for a moment, his mind years away. "I'm it. It's just me here." His voiced had a pained tone which made me feel bad for the guy, even though I was ambivalent about coming here and felt that there was something off about this place.

I saw Lori's eyes widen like a deer in the headlights. "What about that person you were speakin' with? Vi?" Her expression was perplexed and the bags under her eyes were a huge sign of her sleepless nights and stressful days. For once, I actually saw past the glares and dirty looks and felt bad for the woman, she had to face the horrors of this new world and keep her child safe.

For once the doctor smiled and spoke in a very authoritative tone, "Vi, say hello to our guests. Tell them: Welcome."

Soon after he commanded some computer to welcome us, a woman's voice started talking in an electronic voice, exactly like the one we heard before. "Hello, guests. Welcome."

Everyone was surprised, their faces showing a variety of emotions. Carl looked excited and beamed while looking up at the ceiling, expecting some sort of person or robot to appear before him and speak again. The little boy never ceased to amaze me; he always seemed to be rather optimistic about his situation.

Sophia, in contrast to Carl, looked somewhat scared and clung tightly to her mother. When she glanced up at me I gave her a reassuring smile and she responded with a nervous smile. Doctor Jenner smiled at the children and pointed to another room. "If you'd all come this way…"

The room was adorned with several different chairs and everyone took a seat. There was a white board, like the ones used in classrooms, was hung in the other side of the room. We all took a seat and waited for the doctor who was readying a couple syringes to test our blood. I didn't notice the fact that my leg was bouncing and that I had an unsure look on my face until Rick put a calming hand on my leg.

I all but jumped out of my seat because he caught me so off guard, earning a slight laugh from him. "Are you okay?" He asked, concern lacing his southern accent.

"Me?" My voice betrayed me and squeaked. "Ha. Yeah."

He chuckled and shook his head, "You can take a horde of walkers but not a needle?"

I threw my hands up, "In my defense I have a weapon when I face those walkers, but when I comes to needles if I bust out a weapon I think I'll get arrested."

"Would it make you feel better if I went first?"

I took a moment to think about it, scrunching up my face in thought. I swiftly glanced at Rick, his face was in mock concern, however his eyes seemed more troubled than his facial expression would let on. He was smirking at me and I said, "Puh-lease."

Doctor Jenner came up to me and I thrust out my arm. They both laughed at me and Rick said, "You know it might be better if you don't look at it?"

"And let him trick me into putting something else in me? No thank you." I scoffed and watched as the needle pricked my skin and the blood went into the small syringe. "Doctor, that's a lot of blood."

"I need to make sure I get a sufficient amount."

I glowered at him and mumbled, "Sufficient amount my ass." Dr. Jenner removed the needle and started moving over to Rick, who took his shot like a man, much to my dismay. When Jenner got to Andrea she was swaying slightly. He gave her an alarmed look, "Are you okay?" It seemed like he was more concerned that she was bit, rather than her welfare.

She steadied herself and spoke, "Yes. Sorry we haven't eaten much these past few days."

"Oh than please right this way." He said as he finished up the blood tests and removed his greenish blue doctors' gloves. He proceeded to leave the room and we all followed. Leading us into what we supposed was a kitchen, he said, "Help yourselves. They'res pleanty for all, I'm not much of a cook so if any of you…" he trailed off waiting for one of us to speak up.

Looking at everyone's weary faces, I decided that, not just because I used to love cooking and baking, I would step up and make everyone dinner. "I'll do it." Everyone looked at me in half shock, as if they didn't believe that I could cook. "What? I know a thing or two."

"I'll help you." Carol said. I could tell that she was greatly affected by this apocalypse, her eyes told a tale that I knew her words wouldn't. They drooped in a sad motion, and there were small bags under them, as if she was crying the whole night, which I knew she did. Her clothes, tattered and torn, must have fit her once, but now hung solemnly on her thin figure.

I nodded at her in compliance. She seemed like good company to have, and plus she was probably skilled in the kitchen judging by her housewife demeanor. I was surprised when Lori spoke up as well. "I'll come too." Much like with Carol, time was taking a toll on Lori, though she was still rather beautiful. Her hair was outgrown and I could see where minute wrinkles were forming at the corner of her mouth and on her forehead from frowning so much.

I smiled at the two and put my hands on my hips, "Alrighty then, lets head to the kitchen."

The kitchen was like a chef's dream. All the appliances were stainless steel and spotless, as if they were left unused for months, which I wouldn't doubt. The pantry was stocked to the maximum, filled with pastas, sauces, potatoes, onions, and various other foods. The freezer and refrigerator were just as stocked, which made me very excited. "How about we make garlic mashed potatoes, grilled steak and chicken, sautéed green beans, and caramelized carrots?"

They gave me a dumbfounded look, "Where did that come from?"

"I took a class once…." I said, my voice trailing off and I spaced out. Sadly thinking about my old town and the culinary class I took there. I wondered if anyone there was still alive, I made me shiver to think that they might turn into one of those haunting faces, with their stutter walk and half consumed body parts hanging off their body as if they didn't belong there. It brought back memories of when the outbreak first started and my eyes prickled with tears that I quickly wiped away.

Lori placed a kind hand on my shoulder that surprised me, and gave me a sweet smile. "Well let's put those cooking skills of yours to the test."

We went to work and dinner was finished in a speedy manner. When we came out to the dining area and placed the plates of food on the table, I could practically see the drool hanging from their mouths. They all smiled and sat up in their seats. Shane was the first to talk, "Looks good."

"Let's hope it tastes as good as it looks." I teased. They were all about to just dig in and I reprimanded them for their bad manners. "Guys come on, let's thank our hospitable host and say grace."

Daryl gave me an almost disgusted look, "Pray? What for?"

"Because you never know when you're going to be out there chased by a zombie and the only person you have left God." I scolded and he was quiet after that, everyone was. "Carl would you like to say it?"

Carl nodded and said his own dinner prayer. Content with it, I told everyone they could enjoy the feast we had out. Not only was there plenty of food, there was much drink to be spared. Within a matter of an hour or so, most of the adults had lost their sobriety excluding myself. I was never much of a drinker and unbeknown to them, I was still not of age, just shy one year.

The night was spent discussing different topics and several comedic moments. During one time Carl told his mother and father that children his age in Italy and France could drink wine with their meals. This made his mother allow him to take a sip of her wine and in response to the liquid Carl make a sour face as if he had just sucked on a lemon. We all laughed as Lori said, "That's my boy."

Soon, the food and alcohol took its toll and we were ready to hit the hay for the night. I made my way to the bathroom, which was public and included several different shower stalls. I stood in bliss for a moment, staring at the shower, a privilege that I had taken advantage of before this whole debacle. Removing my clothing I turned the water on and stepped in, letting the warm water envelop me. Noticing a shampoo dispenser on the side, I quickly lathered and scrubbed my hair, making sure it was rid of all the sickening oil. The next dispenser was the one of soap, which smelled of flowers and made me smile.

When I finished I grabbed a towel and dried myself off, content with my now clean state. Wrapped in my towel and decided to wash my clothes as the other females of the group came into the bathroom.

"Finally a hot shower!" Carl extolled, and beamed as she caught sight of the showers.

I smiled and scrubbed at my filthy garments. The dirt went down the drain and I hung up the clothes on the shower pole. I cursed under my breath as I realized that I had left my backpack in the kitchen. Furtively, I made my way to the kitchen, pausing before each corner to make sure it was clear. I let out a sigh of relief when I made it to the kitchen without anyone spotting me. I was so concerned with locating my bag that I didn't notice a figure in the kitchen.

"Have you seen Lori?" The figure asked drunkenly.

Gasping, I shot up and almost dropped my towel, but thankfully my quick reflexes stopped the towel from falling too far down. "She's in the shower." I squeaked.

The figure came closer and he reeked of alcohol, and quite frankly he frightened me. Normally he didn't seem like someone I would be scared of, but when he came up to me I felt quite different. In his drunken stupor he just looked at me quizzically for several moments. His dark hair was wet from taking a shower and he had a new change of clothes on. His usually tan skin seemed even darker in the poor lighting and under his dark gaze and in my towel I felt uncomfortable.

"I'll uhm. Tell her you asked?" I said awkwardly and quickly made my way out of the kitchen. Stumbling in my haste, I was steadied by a pair of strong hands. This man smelt slightly of alcohol, but not nearly as much as Shane in the kitchen.

"Careful there little lady." The man laughed and made sure I was on my feet and stable. He flashed me a white smile, and then it faded as he looked behind me. Shane walked out of the kitchen with an almost smug look on his face and nodded in greeting to us. Rick took this moment to look at my clothing, or lack thereof, and frowned. He gave an uncomfortable cough and then asked, "So uh, Shane?"

My cheeks immediately turned a bright red as I hastily shook my head in rejection. "No, no no. He was just asking-" I stopped and remembered that it was a bad idea to tell him that Shane was looking for his wife.

"Askin' what?" Rick asked impatiently.

I gave him a disapproving look and said, "Nothing." I was kind of upset that he felt like he could control me. I huffed and stared to walk away, to which he lightly grabbed my arm, which jerked it a little and caused my towel to fall. Going to get my backpack with my clothes in it was a bad idea.

He blushed and looked away, and I blushed even more ferociously and quickly made sure my towel was secure. "Sorry I just wanted to know if you were okay."

I plastered on a smile and said, "Yup. Peachy." And went back to my 'room' where I got dressed and decided to walk out to the entertainment room where I overheard a conversation that I was deinfaletly not supposed to hear. I peeked around the corner and saw Shane and Lori in a quite compromising position. He had his hand grasped tightly around her arm and they were talking in hushed tones and I could barely make out what they were saying. They were fighting about how he cared about her but she was angry at him because he lied to her about Rick. She looked very distressed and he looked rather hurt.

Suddenly he made a move on her that, had we lived in a society where laws still were prominent, it would have been considered sexual assault, or almost attempted rape. Lori spoke to him in a harsh tone and then, luckily for me, she stalked off in the opposite direction.

I was surprised Shane, who had taken me on a nice and calming walk just a few weeks ago, had become so hostile under the influence of alcohol. It worried me that people in the group were capable of such things. This group, who I had previously thought to have been almost infallible, was now tainted. It was something I didn't want to happen. It seemed as if the people here had taken almost a flip flop, the ones who I was liking turned sour and those who seemed as if they disliked me had turned sweet.

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	3. Square One

I stood there for a few moments, frozen at the scene that had just unraveled before me. I took several deep breaths and contemplated my next move. I knew that I had two options, I could act as if nothing happened, however I knew that even though Lori could be a real bitch, she was a woman and women had to look out for each other in this end of humanity. However on the other side, Lori and I weren't on the best of terms and if I try to talk to her she might just snap at me, or think I'm blackmailing her. Great, so it's a 50-50 chance that I'm going to have to take either way. Knowing where I stood on morals, I took one more deep breath and started making my way down the hall, looking into each room for Lori. The hallway seemed endless, and my thoughts consumed me, the only sound was the soft tapping of my shoes.

I knew Shane was a volatile man; however I was still shocked that he could do something like that. Especially to his best friend's wife, it just didn't add up. Wasn't a cop's job to prevent things like that? Or at least to stop them! It just proves that in this catastrophe, people change, and you just can't trust who you used to.

I came upon the dining room where we had eaten dinner. It was empty except for a lone figure, slumped in one chair, her hands covering her face, and her shoulders slightly trembling. Not wanting to scare her away I approached her cautiously.

"Lori?" I asked quietly.

She looked up at me with a troubled expression, her eyes slightly red with tears. "Yeah." She said, wiping away a stray tear that tried to make its way down her cheek.

"I uh. I saw what happened in the common room. With you and Shane." I said cautiously. I'd gotten this far without her blowing up and I didn't want that to change. I met her eyes, and she looked confused. "Well I just wanted to say that I'm here for you, if you ever need to talk. I know you don't really like me-"

"Don't really like you?" Lori laughed, dabbing at her eyes. "I'm sorry if I came off that way. Rick always used to tell me I came off as bitter to people I don't know. I guess it's just gotten worse since…"

I smiled at her and sat down next to her, "Don't worry I completely understand." I laughed a little bit before I continued. "You know, before all this went to hell, I had a bit of trouble making friends. Mostly 'cause people thought that I had this bitch look on." I gestured to my face, where I made a serious expression.

She nodded in agreement, "That happened to me too. I was kind of glad I married Rick young, otherwise I don't think I'd have a husband!" We both laughed and a comfortable silence filled the air. "It just scares me. Sometimes I just don't know what to do."

Not knowing if she was talking about taking care of Carl or her little love triangle situation, I nodded in response and said, "Sometimes I think I'm lucky, because I don't have any family left. But then I think about it, and that just means I don't have a reason."

She gave me a confused look, "A reason for what?"

"To come back after those food raids, or to make sure I get away every time. Having more people you love around you in these times, motivates you more." I responded solemnly.

"Well now you have us." She said and wrapped me in a slight hug. "And to be honest, I'm damn happy that you're with us, we need some feminine sense around here."

"Damn right." I said, and we giggled before standing up. We made our way to the rooms and I looked at her once more. "If Shane ever tries somethin' like that again, promise you'll tell me, yeah? I'll teach you some self defense moves."

She nodded silently, and we both turned away to walk to our own rooms. "Sabrina?"

"Yeah?" I turned around to see her touching the handle of her door.

"Thanks." She said, and then walked into her room and shut the door without another word.

I made my way down the hallway towards my room, when I saw Daryl leaning on the wall, cleaning his crossbow. He looked up at me and gave me a condescending look, and then sat there and worked on his crossbow some more.

"Used to have one of those." I said, pointing at his crossbow which I remember him calling Mary Jane. I smiled as I recalled the memory.

"What do you think yer doin'?" Daryl asked, as he found me holding his crossbow and aiming it at nothing in particular.

I held my breath and braced for the infamous wrath that was Daryl Dixon. "Nothin', just lookin' at your little weapon here."

"Little? Mary Jane ain't no normal weapon, and she ain't little neither!" Daryl spat. "Probably 'll save yer sorry ass one day."

I held my hands up in surrender. "Hey never said she wasn't a good weapon, jeez."

He just glared at me, and I couldn't help but laugh. "Wha' the hell? Why are yuh laughing?"

"It's just that...Well you actually named it!" I said, bursting into another fit of giggles.

"I told you she has uh name!" He yelled. I laughed some more and he just glared at me and shook his head. "I ain't ever gunna save your ass. Stupid bitch."I just kept laughing and he just gave me a weird look. "Yer weird, know that?"

"Least I don't name my crossbow."

"So you know how tuh shoot one of these?" He asked, holding up his crossbow, erm Mary Jane.

I nodded, "Yup, well at least I used too. I'm prolly a bit rusty and out of practice but not too bad. I lost it right before the breakout, bad luck eh?"

He didn't respond and just looked at me. Out of the month or so I had been here, I noticed that Daryl was a man of few words; he only wore sleeveless shirts, and practically kept the group alive with his hunting and crossbow skills. Not that I was complaining about any of that, considering he did have sculpted arms from using his crossbow all the time, and eating food was nice too.

"You sure bout that? This here ain't no girls weapon." He said smugly, without even looking up.

"Oh I'm sure. Except mine had a double loading slot, and probably triple the range. But don't worry, it ain't no boys weapon." I said coyly and walked into my room to avoid confrontation. I mentally cursed myself when I realized I was sharing a bunk with other people.

I glanced around the room, Carol was snuggled up with Sophia on a bottom bunk, and above them was Glenn, mouth somewhat open and snoring softly. Across the small room was another bunk bed and I noticed that there was no one in the bottom bunk except a bag, and its contents, sprawled out on the bed.

Hoping to not have an awkward encounter with him when he walked in, I quickly got into bed and pulled the covers up. I heard the door open, and then close, his boots shuffling forward and then he stopped. I heard him grunt and then sit down on his bed. After a few more moments I heard his breathing become more regular and calm.

I took a moment and did my nightly ritual, and prayed. Although many people don't believe in a god anymore, I still kept strong to my belief, for a reason even I could not place. I knew people would think me naive if they saw me sitting there, hands clasped together, eyes closed, and completely vulnerable. I prayed for the group, for Lori, for Andrea, and even for Daryl. I prayed for a cure, or an end to the end. I silently finished off my prayers and sleep overtook me.

Surprisingly that night, I didn't sleep like a baby. I had grown so accustomed to awaking at every slight movement, which every time I heard someone shift in their bed I shot up, my hand going straight to my side where my knife was. Once I realized there was nothing, I relaxed once more on the bed. I lay down so that I was looking up at the ceiling. After a few minutes, my eyes drifted closed and I quickly lost my battle with the sand man.

Several hours later I decided to get up, instead of going back to sleep. Trying to be as quiet as possible, I slowly crept down the ladder from my bunk, onto the floor. Tiptoeing, I quickly grabbed my bag and slid out of the room into the hallway. Carol and Sophia saw me and gave me a smile in greeting. I flashed them a smile in return and walked into the bathroom. It seemed as if the lights had dimmed and weren't as bright as they were earlier. I shook it off as tiredness and continued to brush my teeth and run a comb through my hair.

I made my way out of the bathroom and into the hallway leading to the cafeteria. I felt something shuffling quietly behind me and I felt my side for my knife and quickly grabbed it and turned around quickly, about to stab the thing in the head when my hand was grabbed. I let out a gasp when I realized that I was Daryl. "I'm so sorry! I thought that-" I whispered because of our proximity, silently thanking god that I had brushed my teeth.

"S'no big deal. I would've done it if I were you," He said, then he smirked, "cept I don't think that you would have caught my hand in time."

I was about to come back with some witty retort, really I was, but then Rick and his family came strolling down the hallway, their faces adorned with huge smiles. Rick's smile only faltered for a moment when he saw Daryl and I, however Lori's seemed to get even larger and she even had a knowing gleam in her eye. The youngest of their clan; however, just rolled his eyes and continued on to the cafeteria.

"Y'all coming to breakfast, er do we have to save somethin for the both of you?" Lori said with a wink in my direction.

I felt my cheeks turn a bright red and I quickly shook my head. "No no, I'm coming!" I all but sprinted into the room, my cheeks still ablaze and my eyes cast down. Great, more gossip for the group. I wondered how I was going to explain that to Lori as I grabbed an apple. I took a big bite out of it and quickly realized how much I had missed none canned food, especially fresh fruit.

We all sat down at the table and chatted away, until Shane sauntered into the room, big red scratches decorating his neck. I cast him a glare when he wasn't looking and looked back to see Rick giving me a questioning glance. Shane sat down at the table and Rick was quick to ask, "What happened to you?"

Shane brushed him off and spoke nonchalantly, "Just scratched my neck in my sleep; had a bad dream."

"Never seen you do that before." Rick disbelieved, looking from me to Shane.

Wanting to end the conversation Shane said, "Not like me at all." And eyed Lori, who was sitting next to Rick, not participating in the conversation.

There was no more time to speak because Jenner walked in, "Morning everyone." Everyone smiled at him and offered a gratuitous greeting in return.

"Would you like anything to eat Jenner? I can make you anything you want, granted we have the ingredients." Carol said sweetly.

"No thank you ma'am, if it's alright I'd like to show you all something." Everyone nodded and followed him out of the cafeteria into the control center. Jenner spoke, "Vi, bring up the video of Test Subject 19."On the big screen they saw a human brain scan. "This was someone who was infected and chose to let us document the whole process." He said a hint of sadness in his tone.

The scan showed a virus attacking the brain and then eventually the brain lost the battle and went black, symbolizing the body to be dead. "Vi fast forward to the second event." The next event showed the brain rebooting itself, like sparks igniting a small fire.

"It restarts the brain?" Lori questioned.

Jenner shook his head, "Just the brain stem. The human part, that doesn't come back. We don't know what this disease is. We tried but eventually the scientists wanted to go back to their families. We lost contact with the rest of the facilities."

A silence surrounded the room, the same question on everyone's mind. Dale was the one to break it first, "What is that clock counting down to?" He said, pointing to the large digital numbers on the far wall, displaying an hour.

"At zero the basement generators, they run out of fuel." Jenner said, avoiding everyone's eyes.

It was like there was a panic button that suddenly turned on, and the room became complete chaos. "What does that mean?" Rick questioned.

"The building is shutting itself down." Jenner replied simply. "It was the French, they stuck it out the longest before they too ran out of power." He gives an almost sadistic laugh, "It's pretty stupid how the world runs on fossil fuels."

Suddenly the doors locked with a click, I looked around worriedly for another exit. After all we've been through we die here? By the hand of some man whose clearly lost it? Daryl ran to the door and started pounding on it, adding to the chaos.

"There's no point in struggling. Everything is locked down. It's better this way. When the building runs out of power it…"

"What do you mean? Vi what happens when that clock times out?" Rick yelled out to the computer.

"Decontamination protocol will be initiated to keep dangerous diseases from escaping. Oxygen is set aflame." Vi spoke in her flawless voice.

"Trust me everyone, it's better this way." Jenner looks at Rick, "Last night you said you knew it was a matter of time before everybody you loved was dead."

Rick glared at his as everyone looked at him in disbelief. Their rock, their fearless leader, admitted everyone was going to die. Reality hit once again. Carol broke down in sobs, clutching a trembling Sophia. Daryl and Shane, fuming, ran to the doors and tried once again to beat them down.

"You don't think there's any hope? At all?" I spoke up, eyes looking at me.

"I made a promise, to my wife to keep going as long as I could. She was one of the finest scientists in the world you know. If anyone could do something about this, it was her. Me? I'm just Edwin Jenner." His reminiscent look in his eyes disappearing.

Lori looked him dead in the eye, "We just want our chance to keep going as long as we can."

"I'll open the door, but the ones leading outside are permanently closed. It's all I can do for you." He said sadly.

"I'm grateful." Rick spoke for all of us.

"There comes a time where you won't be." Jenner countered and quickly shook Rick's hand and suddenly pulled him close, whispering something inaudible to the rest of us in his ear. Rick showed no emotion and just nodded.

Everyone headed to the exit except for Jacqui and Andrea. "Come on!" T-Dog told Jacqui.

She sadly shook her head, "I'm not ending up like Jim and Amy."

Understanding, T-Dog gave her a quick hug and started to leave. Sliding to the floor Andrea told everyone, "I'm staying too."

"Andrea come on-" Dale tried to plead with her.

"No I want to stay." Andrea said stubbornly.

"Then I stay too. "

Not having enough time to plead with them everyone quickly runs out of the room and in what felt like seconds with the adrenaline we came to the front, where we found out that the glass was impossible to bash through.

Searching her pocket, Carol, surprising us all, pulls out a grenade and hands it to Rick, "Your first morning at camp, when I washed your uniform? I found this in your pocket."

Rick quickly threw the grenade at the window and screamed, "Everybody back!"

A loud sound, shattered glass, and relived expressions later, we were sprinting out to the cars. A walker stumbled toward us, its face a half decayed mess. It gave out a snarl at us right before Daryl sent an arrow through its head.

We made it to the caravan and were about to get in when someone shouted, "Look it's Dale and Andrea!"

I looked and saw them both struggling to get out of the glass and running toward us. Luckily there were no walkers on their tail. "Everyone get down!" Rick yelled, covering Lori and Carl.

In a split second Carol covered her daughter, and I was left alone. Suddenly someone pulled me onto the floor and was hovering above me when the explosion sounded off.


	4. Triumphant

You know in action movies when the hero is caught in an detonation of a bomb of some sorts, and then you hear this sound that the character is supposed to be hearing; ringing. The loud, harsh, and tireless ringing in the hero's ears. Well let me tell you, it is not a load of bullshit. The ringing in my ears was going strong, and then the heat from the explosion showered us in a wave, which came and went rather quickly. And then, it was silent. All except for the ringing. The sculpted arms which had blocked much of the explosion, suddenly left. And I was left alone.

I turned around and met his normally cold and harsh gaze. His eyes relayed a sense of worry, and then, as quick as it came, it was gone. Daryl had his mouth downturned into his signature scowl, and his nose crinkled up as if he smelt something bad.

My pounding heartbeat started beating quicker, if possible, when we heard snarling, moaning, and gasping, the walker's signature death cry. "Get in the nearest car! Quickly!" I heard Rick shout with a deep sense of authority. Our eyes met for a split second, and I gave him a curt nod. While he went into the RV, I decided to hop into Daryl's truck.

I had made it inside the car just in time, because in mere seconds the truck was being followed by half dead monsters, with their boney and grey hands scratching at Daryl's window.

"God damnnit! Get your dirty ass hands off my glass you good for nothing'-" Daryl started shouting at the particularly gruesome walker who was right outside my window. The skin around his mouth had decayed, exposing crooked and yellow teeth. His hair was practically all gone, save for several strands still protruding from his half eaten scalp.

Cutting him off mid sentence, I yelled, "Daryl! Just leave!"

He grunted and immediately pressed the pedal. I let out a deep and shaky sigh as I watched the walkers become farther and farther away, until they disappeared. I looked out the window at the scenery floating by, greenery and the occasional cluster of buildings. I then looked at the glass and noticed that the walker Daryl had yelled at left several long scratches.

I looked over at Daryl, about to tell him when I noticed his facial expression. His face was contorted into an even angrier expression than usual. Deciding against a snarky remark, I went with the standard 'thanks for saving me from an explosion' apology. "I just want to say…" I shifted uncomfortably and sighed. "Thanks..."

"Whatever, someone has to save your ass all the time. Jesus it's like you're a magnet for trouble!"

I raised my eyebrows, "I am not a magnet for trouble! And I would have been just fine without you helping me." I crossed my arms and kept a glare on my face. I for one do not need some man to come and save me.

He scoffed loudly, "Please darlin', them shorts you have on c'aint cover up nothin'."

I faced the front to avoid him seeing my tinted cheeks, "Well it's not my fault Georgia is so god damned hot in the summer!" I waited a few moments for my blush to subside and then said with a shit eating grin on my face, "So you're lookin' at my ass huh?"

"Hate to break it to ya, but there ain't much else to look at other than your ass." Daryl said it was his turn to have a smirk on his face.

My mouth dropped, he did not go there. "You're such an ass! Here I am trying to thank you."

"I just complimented you! Damn bitch." Daryl muttered. "I'll never understand women."

We drove for several hours, and what was once sparsely settled towns, was now desolate greenery. There was not a house or building in sight, all we drove by were forests and fields. And to top it all off, Daryl and I hadn't spoken a word since our little disagreement. I started squirming around, uncomfortable and tired of being in the car.

"Can you stop?" Daryl scolded, breaking the silence.

"Sorry, I'm just…" I shook my head and looked back out the window. "Never mind." Curious as to what he had in his car, I rummaged through the glove compartment and found the expected: hunting magazines, receipts from several outdoor stores, a pair of what I hoped were clean socks, and a bag of empty chips. However what I found next surprised me. I held it up and looked at him inquisitively raising one eyebrow. His eyes widened slightly, and then were masked by some unknown emotion.

His voice darkened, "Give it. Damn, didn't your Mama teach you some god damned manners?"

He lunged for the book, and managed to get a firm grip on it. However my grip was just as firm, and as he pulled it closer to him, I extended my arm out to grab it from his side of the car, and when I tried pulling the book back my arm hit the wheel and my elbow was slightly jammed in the wheel. That, in turn, caused the car to swerve dramatically off the highway. The car was off the highway and close to hitting the trees when Daryl's quick reflexes saved us, and the car.

We sat in the car, silent except for our heavy breathing. We both looked at each other and I was glad he appeared to be okay. But I'm not sure he can say the same about me. We both jumped when we heard a knocking coming from the window. Caught off guard, Daryl stealthily grabbed his crossbow and aimed it at his window. All our worries subsided when we saw Rick standing outside with a worried expression.

"Y'all okay?"

Daryl sent me a furtive glare and then turned to respond to Rick, "Yeah. Musta hit somethin' on the road."

I raised my eyebrows at him, why was he lying for me? He knew that it was my fault, there was no mistaking that. Well it's not like I needed covering, had he not lunged at the book we could have avoided this whole mess!

Rick broke my reverie when he asked, "You okay?"

I met his eyes, and could feel the calming feeling he was trying to relay. I nodded quickly and plastered on a slight smile. He nodded and said, "Well we've hit a dead end anyway. Highway's blocked for what looks like miles." He ran a hand through his light brown hair. "We're thinkin' about pitching up camp here for the night. Daryl, why don't you drive outta this brush and meet Sabrina and I back at the highway?"

Daryl grunted in response and I hopped out of the car after giving him another apprehensive glance. I made sure I had my lucky knife with me as well as my gun, and closed the car door, following Rick. "So I'm not sure staying here is a good idea right now."

"Yeah? Why's that?" Rick questioned.

I looked at him, "Well think about it, that little crash had to have caused some noise I mean I'm sure that it alerted all the walkers in the area. Plus, if walkers come from one direction, than we're stuck."

"Where should we go then?"

I didn't have a chance to explain because I heard distant moaning and growling which seemed to be coming from the highway. I quickly pulled Rick behind a tree before he walked out in the clearing. He gave me a startled look and had this not been a serious situation I would have laughed. "Hear that?" I asked, pausing for him to listen closer. Our faces were very close, due to the lack of space. His eyes widened with realization. "We need to be strategic about this."

His green eyes were laced with worry, and I could feel his breath on my face as he spoke. "But Carl-"

"Will be okay for now, but he won't be if his dad goes out there and plays hero and ends up with a scratch or worse!" I whisper yelled at him. "Now listen-"I was cut off by the sound of a little girl screaming, which seemed to have come from the stretch of the highway that was closest to us. Acting quickly I told Rick, "Go to the highway, help everyone else!"

I sprinted out of the woods and into a small clearing and saw Sophia being pursued by two half eaten men. Luckily one of them hardly had a second leg, and the other was missing a foot, so she had the advantage. They followed her into the brush and I went after them, by running at an angle, hoping to cut her them off from her, giving her a temporary distraction.

I made it just in time as one was about to close in on her; honing in on my training, I quickly threw my knife and managed to get the abomination right above the ear. Not as precise, but still got the job done. Sophia let out a scream and then noticed me, her eyes displayed relief but her shaking hand pointed behind me. I heard snarling that was much too close for comfort and turned right in time to be face to face with the vilest and ugliest thing I have ever seen. An expletive left my mouth as I kicked the thing away and then snatched the knife out of the decomposing skull of the other walker and quickly stabbed the other one, ending its afterlife.

Both of us were breathing hard. Tear stained cheeks, and ruffled hair came and enveloped me in a tight hug. She was bawling and I held her close to me, shushing her and telling her what we were going to do next. "Okay Sophia you've been so brave sweetie, I just need you to do one more thing for me yeah? Quickly climb that tree right there, you're good at climbing right?" She nodded and started to climb up the tree as I kept watch for any more stray walkers. I glanced up and noticed he was completely up the tree. "Good girl, now I need you to watch out for me as I climb okay? Just shout if you see something."

I regrettably turned my back and started climbing the tree. Dear god get me through this please. I quickly climbed up the tree and was relieved when I made it up without Sophia shouting. We both stayed in the tree, shaking and silently crying. Sophia clutched my hand with a deadly grip, as a stray walker walked right by the tree, unaware to our presence.

We waited it out silently, and I comforted Sophia as much as I could. I muffled her cries by holding her tightly to me. It was heart breaking to know that a girl as young as this had to go through something any adult should never have to see. As I could feel it getting slightly cooler I realized that we were just a couple of hours from sunset, and then we'd be stuck here all night. When I realized this, tears filled my eyes and threatened to spill over. I felt Sophia stop shaking in my arms and noticed that she had fallen asleep. I felt all the hope leave my body, as a small group of walkers sauntered by our tree. I stopped breathing when a walker stopped and started looking around, like a wolf smelling a dying elk. I could hear it's moaning, almost like it was trying to talk to the other walkers. After what felt like hours, the dumb creatures didn't look up and kept on walking.

My arms were numb from trying to cradle the girl in my arms, and my body had become slightly more relaxed, until I heard rustling. My senses became alerted and I held my breath, waiting for what was about to come. The rustling continued and I realized that it didn't have the stutter-step of a walker, but more of a human gait. However in times like this, survivors could be just as bad as the dead. I decided on staying silent. It had become a waiting game, when suddenly someone came into my line of sight.

Crossbow held high, grimace on his face, hawk like eyes scanning, he noticed me as soon as I noticed him. I knew the relief was apparent in my eyes as I nodded in the direction of Sophia. He gave me a short nod and after listening carefully and scanning the area once more, he put his crossbow on his back and opened out his arms.

"Sophia. Sophia sweetie I need you to wake up for me okay?" I whispered to her. She woke up with a dazed look on her face. "I know this is the last thing you want to do but I need you to do this for me. Climb down as far as you can, Daryl is there to help you."

She gave me a worried glance and I told her, "Don't worry he'll keep you safe." She nodded in response and proceeded to climb down the tree.

We must have been damn lucky because we both got down without any problems and without any walker encounters. "Been lookin' fer you and Sophia bout as long as Rick's been lookin fer Carl."

I sent a glance at Sophia, who still seemed to be none the wiser. "Carl? What happened to him?"

" I dunno, ran off to try and help Sophia I guess." Daryl said, and normally people would think he was acting very coldly, but I came to know that it meant that he was just trying to shrug off his emotions.

"Poor Lori…" I said remorsefully.

"Poor Rick, bout lost his mind lookin' fer that boy." Daryl said, shifting his crossbow to the other shoulder.

After we walked a mile or two, we didn't know that we had run that far, we made it to the highway. In the old world, we would appear to be dirty, beaten, terrified, and exhausted, but in this world, we were triumphant.

Dale spotted us and I could see his smile from where we stood. He called out to Carol who ran out from the RV to grab her little girl and they both sobbed together. Carol only partially let go of Sophia to hug me and say, "Thank you, you saved my little girl. My little girl!"

I hugged her back tiredly and made my way to the RV where everyone else had been standing. Lori looked distraught and I quickly made my way over to her. We had become quick friends since last night. I was still shocked that it was just last night that we had that talk, too much had happened. She sobbed as she hugged me. "Don't worry Lori. Shh. It's okay."

We stopped hugging as she tried futilely to wipe away her tears and she said, "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to have Sophia and you back."

"Shh it's okay." I told her, rubbing her back comfortingly and giving her a sympathetic smile.

It was then that we noticed something rustling in the bushes, "Everyone in the RV except those with weapons! Quickly!" I shouted, noticing for the first time that Shane was gone as well, what were they thinking? Leaving the rest of the women and Dale with only T-Dog and Glenn as protection! I made a mental note to ask someone that when if I got the chance.

The rustling continued and out came Rick and Carl, both seemingly unscathed. However, it was noted that there was an absence of Shane. Lori ran out to greet her family and I couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. I glanced around, gauging everyone's reactions.

Rick hugged his wife quickly and handed over his son, "Shane's been shot." Lori and Andrea gasped loudly, and then there was a soft murmur of talking going on.

"Where is he?" Andrea questioned suspiciously.

"At this man's farm right down the road. We can drive there tonight to get some temporary safety, and to see how Shane's doing. The man there, Hershel, he's a doctor, well kind of, but he can get the job done." Rick said, and it was then that I noticed the deep bags under his eyes, proving how tired and stressed he was.

"Y'all heard him," Daryl said surprising everyone. "Get in yer cars so we can leave this graveyard." Once again I made my way to Daryl's car and situated myself in his passenger seat, and as he started the car and I heard the lull of the engine, my eyes started drifting closed.

When the car got off the highway and hit the dirt road with a thump, I woke up with a start. I looked over at Daryl who kept his eyes on the road. Sighing I sat up and rubbed at my tired eyes. "So uh, thanks for finding Sophia and I…"

"Damn, two apologies in one day?" Daryl said with a snarky tone to his voice.

I nodded and said, "Hopefully I won't need another instance to say any more." I looked around and noticed the book lying on the floor of the truck. "Hey what's your deal with this book anyway?" I asked him, holding it up once more.

He avoided my gaze and kept it on the road. "None of yer god damned business that's what."

Post apocalypse or not, that was the thing that absolutely hated to be told. I didn't even bother to glare at him and just looked out my window. We drove for a couple of miles until we reached a typical weathered farmhouse. It had a wraparound porch complete with rocking chairs, hell all it was missing is a glass of lemonade! When we arrived, a group of people stumbled out onto the porch.

There was an old man who was tall and had grey hair, and a demeanor that screamed typical southern man. Slightly hidden by the man were two women, and seemed to be closest to my age. One was blonde and dainty, while the other, a complete contrast, brunette and strong. To the side of them was a young man, hardly even 18, with dirty blonde hair and an athletic but slim build. A couple was standing on the porch, far away from the rest. It was a blonde woman, and a heavy set man.

Rick spoke up first, "This is everybody."

The old man nodded "I'm Hershel, and these are my daughters Maggie and Beth" he gestured to the two sisters who stepped out and nodded at us. "This is Jimmy, and those two back there are Patricia and Otis."

Skipping introductions on our behalf, Andrea quickly asked, "Where's Shane?"

Hershel looked nervous, "He's upstairs. But from the looks of it, he don't look too good." Everyone started making a move to go inside the house when Herschel put up a hand. "I'm sorry but we don't have room for everyone inside the house. We have an extra room that the women and children can stay in, but I'm sorry that's all we have."

Everyone looked momentarily stunned and unsure of what to say, I decided it was my turn to step up to the plate. "That's alright sir, thank you. Lori, you, Carol, and the kids go sleep inside. Rick and Andrea go check on Shane." I turned to look at Hershel, "Is it okay if we pitch up camp over there?" I pointed to the corner of his vast yard that was shaded by an old oak tree.

"That's quite alright yes."

Surprisingly everyone listened to my directions, and went to the designated areas. "So how do you guys want to set up camp? I mean the camper can fit about… five of us max, but two of us are going to have to sleep somewhere else." I looked around, "Any volunteers?"

Daryl looked at me, "Y'all know I'm not going in that death trap."

I nodded at him, "Okay anyone else?"

It was silent. T-Dog was almost avoiding my gaze a pained look on his face, Glenn looked at me with scared eyes, almost like he was too scared to sleep outside, and that left good o' Dale. He raised his hand tentatively. "I can sleep on the roof of the RV if you want."

I shook my head, "No Dale it's fine. That's unnecessary, I'll just sleep outside. No worries." I said nonchalantly and made my way to the trunk of the RV to grab some sleeping supplies. I'd never admit it, but I was damn scared out of my mind. The herd of walkers we saw earlier terrified me to the bone. I was silent as I fumbled with setting up my tent, I was exhausted and frustrated.

After angrily tossing my tent to the ground, I walked over to the fire that Rick and Daryl had made. "How's Shane?" I asked Rick, slumping down into one of the plastic chairs surrounding the fire. Dale passed me a plate of dinner which consisted of canned beans and what I assumed was the leftovers of our squirrel jerky.

Rick sighed sadly, "I ain't a doctor, but he's in pretty bad shape. Went right through him. He's in some sort of coma now…"

I nodded solemnly. Shane, though somewhat brooding, he was always passionate about what he did, that being opposing something or protecting those he loved. "Is Andrea still with him?"

He shook his head, "No she's inside the RV, Lori's in there with him."

I looked down at my food and raised my eyebrows. Lori's with Shane? But considering what he did, or almost did to her, what was she doing at his bedside? A slight bit of anger flowed through me, is Lori not stronger than this? I pushed it aside and decided to ask her about it later.

I quickly finished my meal and decided to go work on my tent once more. I slowly walked to the place where I'd decided to put up my tent. I was surprised to find that in its place was one of those giant tents with two rooms surrounding a central one. I raised my eyebrows when Daryl and Rick stepped out of the tent, both with weird smiles on their face.

"What's so funny?" I asked, they both just shook their heads at me. They had mischievous glints in their eyes.

"Nothin'." Daryl said, quickly putting his signature scowl back on his face.

"What's up with this anyway?" I asked, directing my focus at the large tent in front of me.

It was Rick's turn to answer, "Patricia felt bad about Hershel not letting everyone in the house, and so she had Maggie help her dig this up. It's supposed to have three rooms plus a central one, and it just made sense to have this instead of putting up a whole bunch of other ones."

"So…They must have been extreme campers or something! Who has this just lying in their basement?" I asked incredulously.

Daryl's eyes darkened. "Someone who knew somethin' was going to happen."

"Daryl, don't be startin' somethin'. Let's just get some sleep it's been a long day." Rick scolded. "I'm going to go check on Shane one more time, so don't jump when I come into the tent later on."

"Wait you're sleeping here too?" I asked confused.

He nodded, "Lori wanted to stay with the children, and there isn't enough room for me up there. And I just figured that here there was plenty of room…"

Daryl cleared his throat awkwardly. I glared at him and said, "Yeah definitely. Who's taking first watch?"

"I am." Daryl said, grabbing his crossbow and started his walk to the top of the RV.

"Daryl wait!" I jogged up to him, yawning before I talked. "Wake me up when you're ready to sleep yeah?"

He looked at me, grunted, and kept walking. Yawning once more I decided that it was a substantial answer and grabbed my bag out of Daryl's truck and brought it into the tent with me. I zipped up the divider to my room carefully. It was then, when the darkness surrounded my tent, and I was alone, that I was scared. Scared of the inevitable. Scared of death, and scared of losing the ones that I've come to love and protect.

It worried me that I didn't wake up that night, not when Rick came in, and not when Daryl came in. However I did wake up when Glenn came into my section of the tent practically shouting, "Sabrina wake up! T-Dog's been bit!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well there it is! Chapter four! I hope you guys liked it, and sorry that it's been so long but now school is pretty much over so I can really focus on writing, expect twoish chapters a week! :) I want to take the time out to thank all of you for reading this story, and especially the ones who take time out of their day to review my story. It really means a lot :) So to answer some questions, like this chapter showed I'm going to float along the storyline, but change things here and there. And I'm terribly sorry for this next statement, but as some of you may have realized, Daryl is labeled on the story as well, that's because this story seems to write itself! To be honest, I'm wondering myself who Sabrina's going to end up with... I'm sorry if that makes you not want to read this story anymore, but please stick with it! If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to PM me or leave a review! :)**

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	5. Back Up

I could feel my heart beating erratically; its pace having an effect on my now slightly unsteady motions. I mentally chided myself; this was not the time for shaking hands. I fumbled slightly with my shoes, yet still managed to get out of my tent in record timing. Glenn, left hand in his hair, had a worried look plastered on his face and I gave him a sad smile. He walked me over to the RV where the group was waiting outside, their gazes downcast and expressions solemn. They heard the crunching of rocks underneath our feet and looked up at us with expectant eyes.

"Where's Rick?"

Dale pointed in the direction of the RV, "In there with Daryl and…"

I nodded and walked up to the door, stopping to take a deep breath before proceeding to go inside. I slowly turned the handle and opened the door. Shutting the door behind me, I quickly heard the pained moans of T-Dog. I walked down the RV isle and saw the door slightly open; to say I wasn't ready to see what was inside was an understatement. T-Dog was sprawled out on the bed, his face doused with sweat, like a man going through hell. His shirt was off, exposing a gruesome looking bite mark on his abdomen. He also had what looked to be a ripped arm, as if a cat had scratched him while playing.

"I can't look that bad can I?" T-Dog said his face in a grimace as a wave of pain shot through him. I gave him a look of question, and he elaborated, "Your face, please don't tell me it's that bad."

I shook my head, trying to let him keep his pride a little I said, "Let's just leave it at, you should see the other guy."

I heard Daryl scoff and I looked at the rest of the room. Rick was sitting in a chair next to T-Dog's bed, giving me an inquisitive look. His body language made T-Dog think he was sympathetic, however his eyes told a different story, one of worry, pain, and ambivalence. His hand appeared to be sitting casually at his side; however I knew that it was where he kept his gun.

Daryl on the other hand, did not scream any sort of reassurance for T-Dog. His arms were cradling Mary Jane, muscles tensed ready to fire at any moment. His eyes were clouded with an unreadable emotion, and his face contorted in his typical grimace. He was leaning against the wall, eyeing T-Dog while giving me a condescending look.

"Can I talk to you two real quick?" Rick asked, carefully giving us a look saying that it wasn't a request. He got up and herded us out of the room, or well tried Daryl wanted to be last out of the room, him and his damn pride.

We closed the door behind us and walked to the other end of the RV. Rick spoke first, his voice in a hushed whisper, "What are we supposed to do?" I looked at both of them, each of their faces scrunched in a frustrated scowl.

But then a thought came into my mind, the one that we all knew was coming; the inevitable. I turned my gaze to the ground, "When did it happen?" I received two perplexed looks and continued. "When did he get bit? How long ago?"

"I'd say yesterday when that herd came through." Daryl replied. I could see the wheels begin turning in their heads and then the light bulbs went off.

Not waiting for them to react first, I made my way down the hallway and into the bedroom. I crept open the door quietly and slipped inside. T-Dog was glistening with sweat, the fever undoubtedly in full swing now. He looked up at me with expectant eyes, almost as if he expected me to find some cure.

"I know you want to know." He started hesitantly.

I shook my head, "Oh no T-Dog, honestly you really don't need to-"

It was his turn to shake his head at me and said simply. "I need to." I nodded in compliance and let him proceed, feeling my heart breaking with every word he spoke.

"I happened while that herd came through. I hid myself best I could, but I fell on a piece of glass, cut my damn arm." He gazed out the window and continued, "I thought I was going to be okay, most of the herd went by and I assumed we'd be okay. But then a lone straggler came around, smelled my blood I guess."

He closed his eyes as he spoke about what came next, "scariest damn thing that has ever happened to me. I managed to stab it with a piece of glass but not before…" he trailed off, looking at his wound with a dismayed expression.

I walked over and sat in the chair that Rick was previously sitting in. I took T-Dog's hand in mine, ignoring the fact that it was scorching hot. I knew the fever was coming to a close. Taking a wet rag from the bowl of water on the nightstand, I put it to his head and dabbed gently much like a mother would do for a sick child.

He looked at me and asked, "I'm going to die aren't I?"

I was silent, still patting his face with the wet rag. Silent tears began streaming down his face. He pleaded with me, voice broken, "Please don't let me die. Please don't let me come back. Please."

We sat there for a while until he closed his eyes and I knew what was coming next. What I didn't know was that it would happen so fast, it was three breaths before he came back, but it wasn't him it was a monster in place of his soul. His eyes were palled over, with a slight bloodshot look to them. He seemed to be groggy at first, as if he was just napping. It was two breaths before he realized I was food and snarled, a gasp-like sound, like a man in a desert searching for water. It was one breath before he lunged at me, reaching for my flesh. And before I could take another breath, two simultaneous shots were fired. Both very different, but both equally lethal. I looked at T-Dog, once more and saw he had a bullet right between the eyes, and where his eye had for one second been pale and lifeless, was instead a crossbow bolt.

I got out of my chair and walked towards the entrance until Daryl moved in my way, "The hell were you thinkin'?"

I pushed past him and kept going until I made it outside, which later, I decided, was a lot worse than having to face Daryl and Rick. The second I opened the door I saw a group of people waiting for me, as if I was a judge declaring a verdict. I gave them a stiff shake of my head and I could immediately hear the soft cries. But surprisingly staring at me with judgment and anger in her eyes was Carol.

She rose a shaky hand at me and said, "You! Why didn't you try and help him? If you hadn't crashed that car, if you hadn't come!" Her eyes overflowing with angry tears as she spoke.

Lori quickly grabbed Carol and Sophia and ushered the crying women back towards the house. Glenn came up to me and gave me a comforting pat on the back, his own face twisted into a solemn expression.

I cringed at the thought of T-Dog's face, when it became reanimated, it was him, but with an eerie glow to his exasperated eyes. I panicked when I felt the tears prickling at the edge of my eyes, so I jogged away to the stable.

A wave of anger hit me and I, rather regretfully, punched the wooden stable door. The pain coursed through my hand in moments, and I cursed blatantly. I felt the tears as I thought once more of T-Dogs desperate face as he practically pleaded for mercy. I fell down onto my knees and clasped my hands together and spoke to the only person who would hear, "I know you have a reason for everything you do, but can you just please explain to me! I had no power! I couldn't help him at all! I just don't understand...

"I know you don't always give signs, but please, show me why I'm still alive? Why me and not T-Dog? Not Jim? Not…" I shook my head, tears flowing now. I made the sign of the cross and finished with a muffled "Amen."

I got up and walked over to the closest horse, a brown mare with a beautiful white stripe down her long face. She looked at me with her big brown eyes, ears alert, unable to determine if I am a friend or foe. I clicked my tongue and walked closer. She nickered at me and came nearer. I grabbed a handful of hay and she took a step back, I clicked my tongue once more and she took a step closer. Soon she was eating out of my hand warily.

"You know I can hear you." I said at the almost silent footsteps of a well trained hunter. I turned around and saw his dirty face, which surprisingly lacked its usual scowl.

He had his crossbow latched onto his back, ready to use. He leaned onto the doorframe as he spoke, "Tha hell were you thinkin' girl?"

I gave him a half glare half puzzled look, "What are you talking about?"

"Back there with T-Dog! When ya decided to sit right next to a dyin' man, when you knew he was goin' to turn into a walker! Sometimes I think that you don't think!" He scolded me, like either a jealous boyfriend who just caught his girlfriend cheating, or an angry father who just caught his teenage daughter making out with the bad boy from school.

What got into this man's head? What gave him the right to yell at me? I shook my head at him, "You just don't understand do you? You don't understand emotions do you? You know the ones that come from," I poked his rather hard chest, "right in there."

For once he was silent, and looked down at where my finger was jabbed at his chest, raising an eyebrow slightly. "He pleaded with me Daryl. He begged for me to help, and I-I…I couldn't." I felt tears fall down, and I quickly started pulling away, trying to face the brown mare instead; however, Daryl had other plans and tugged on my arm and pulled me into a tight embrace. He surprisingly smelled of pine and woods, with a hint of musk. My tears still fell and we stayed in that position for a while, until my tears, much like my pride, stopped.

I pulled away and gave him a slight smile, "Don't tell anyone, got it."

"Best remember it." He said gruffly. Looking out of the corner of my eye I could see a slight smile forming on his mouth. He walked close to the horse, his hand held out and stood in a confident stance. The mare nickered at him and walked closer to him, nuzzling her head in his open palm.

"It doesn't surprise me that you are a horseman." I observed, noting how the horse appeared to have complete trust in him as he rubbed her neck.

"When I was bout Carl's age I had one."

I waited for him to elaborate more on this little bit of insight into his past, but he stopped there. My curious nature took over and I questioned, "What happened to him?"

His eyes turned dark, and his face scrunched up angrily. "Sold 'em to pay my dad's gambling debts."

I mentally slapped myself, I had him calmed down and open, but quick as a flame Daryl came back. "I'm-" I started to say, but he brushed me off and walked out the stable. I sighed and looked back at the mare, who looked at me with blame in her eyes, and then snorted because of the lack of attention she was getting.

"What? Don't blame me!" I raised my hands in surrender. Sighing, I left the stall and carefully bolted the door behind me. As I closed the stable doors I heard shuffling feet behind me, and quick as lightning I grabbed my knife, whipped around, and almost hit the head when a hand stopped me.

My rapid heart rate didn't cease when I noticed who I had almost decapitated. Rick had his hand on my wrist, looking at me with the typical worry in his eyes. I pulled away as Rick held up his hands defenseless. "Don't worry, it's just me."

I let out a slight snort, "Jesus you scared me." I pointed my knife at his feet, "You need to stop shuffling, or that won't be the last time someone pulls their knife on you."

"I have a feelin' no matter what I do with my feet, that ain't gonna be the last time someone pulls a knife on me." He said sadly.

I nodded, "Yeah, no matter how bad walkers are, survivors can be even worse." I shivered thinking of some we came across a month ago.

"Well I just wanted to come an' check on you, after everything." He said, his eyes staring right into my own, like my eyes spoke much louder than my words.

Breaking away from his gaze I spoke, "Yeah, I'm good. Just...Wow. Just when I thought we'd gotten away. It's like they get the last word every time."

Rick nodded his head, "I feel like they always will."I gave him a sad smile in response and he continued, "But uh, Carol wanted to see you."

I raised an eyebrow at him, "Carol?"

He nodded, "Yeah somethin' bout apologizing."

"Alright then. I guess I'll see you later." I said awkwardly.

He nodded and I started to walk but he grabbed my hand the last second and looked me in the eye for a moment before he spoke, the both of us so close I could practically feel his hot breath on my face. "If you ever need to talk, you know I'm here?"

"Yeah, thanks. You too." I said with a quick smile and then walked away, leaving it at that. I was deep in thought as I walked. It was nice to know that I had people in this group who seemed like they cared about me, but it also scared me. I didn't want people to be upset when I was in T-Dog's situation. I wanted them to be able to continue on, without being bothered. In this world, you can't be distracted.

I walked around and found inside the house Carol making dinner with Maggie and Lori, smiles on all their faces. I went inside the room slowly and carefully, but Lori quickly noticed me.

"Sabrina, look at you. Come and sit down. You've been through a lot today." She said sympathetically, and guided me to a chair by the breakfast table.

I muttered my thanks as I was presented with a much desired glass of water, which I gulped down quickly, not realizing my dire thirst. Lori gave Carol a pointed look and then darted her eyes quickly at me, giving Carol one more pointed look. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as Carol took a seat right next me.

She gave me a saddened smile, "So about this morning, I didn't mean to get angry at you."

"Oh it's perfectly fine, I uh, understand." I said quickly.

She shook her head at me, "I don't think you do, when I said it was your fault… I didn't mean it like how you thought."

"I don't understan-"

She cut me off with a finger, "Just listen…Ever since this, wildfire broke out, I've been surrounding myself with this belief that-" She paused to clear her throat and fiddle with her mug in her hands. "That for every person who joins this group, one must die in their place. I-I know it's absurd, but when Rick came Amy died, and-"

It was my turn to silence her; I wrapped her in my arms and said, "its fine. We all have some sort of belief that keeps us going in this mess."

"T-Dog just… After my husband…" Carol spoke sadly, shaking her head. "I guess it was foolish of me…"

Maggie decided to chime in at that point, "Don't worry! There are more men dying for women now-a-days than they ever were! What about that sulky fellow, with the crossbow?"

"Daryl?" Lori asked surprised. "He is really toned, just imagine."

The three of them giggled, and I couldn't make myself join in. Daryl? With Carol? They wouldn't work would they? I think he'd hurt her feelings faster than you could say redneck.

"Sabrina, what do you think? Carol and Daryl! It'll be like our own little soap opera." Lori joked, laughing along with the girls.

I put on my best faux smile and said, "Any single person is fair game now!" I quickly stood up, "Sorry guys I just remembered that it's my turn for watch! See you later?"

They smiled and bid me goodbye, but not without handing me a piece of bread, with each of them murmuring about how those on watch should be fed more. I made my way out of the house, nibbling on my bread, somehow not finding my appetite. When I got to the trailer I waved at Dale who was standing atop it, with his gun held proudly. I think it helped him feel more like he was helpful, rather than the older man that he was.

"What brings you here?" He asked me with his fatherly smile.

I smiled at his tone and said, "I thought I'd relieve you of your duties for a while. Maybe you can go eat dinner inside? It's almost ready."

"Well that's very kind of you," he looked around. "But Daryl should be coming in a moment."My smile faltered and I looked around me as well, letting out a sigh. "You know, it's not a good idea to take watch when you have a lot on your mind."

I gave him a cheerless smile and said, "I guess you're right. Can I… Join you for a little bit?"

He nodded right away and I climbed up onto the RV and sat next to Dale on a chair. I looked out into the vast fields and was immediately lost in thought. Why was I upset when they played around with the thought of Carol and Daryl. I guess that Daryl could one day make a good dad, but he needs the right girl, someone who isn't afraid to stand up to him. What if Carol's past abuse memories flared up when Daryl got angry? He wasn't the hitting type, was he?

My thoughts were interrupted when Dale placed his hand on my shoulder, "I never had daughters, but being married to my wife taught me one thing."

"What's that?"

He smiled at me and went down the ladder, disappearing for a few moments before coming back with something in his hand. "Every time my wife was upset, angry, or sad, I gave her one of these." He said, holding half a chocolate bar in his hand. My eyes widened and Dale laughed. "It never fails, the perfect cure."

"Thank you so much! Do you want a piece?" I asked, breaking one off for him.

He shook his head, "No my sharing days are over, but you on the other hand, yours are just beginning. I think that's Daryl walking up, so that's my cue." He smiled and I stood up and gave him a tight hug.

Daryl climbed up the ladder and gave the both of us a weird look. "Carol wanted me to tell you dinner is ready."

I stiffened up at the mention of her name. What was happening to me? I sat down and took a small piece of chocolate and placed it in my mouth, honoring the decadent flavor. It was silent between us and I could taste the chocolate melting in my mouth. I smiled happily and leaned back in my chair.

"What you smilin' about?" Daryl asked me, eyes barely leaving the fields.

I held up my prize with a big smile, "Dale gave it to me. Want a piece?"

"No I'm good."

My smile dropped and my hand fell down into my lap, my eyes quickly following. For some reason I felt rejected, stinking Dale with his wise advice.

"Don't do that." Daryl said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I'm sorry? Do what?" I said slightly annoyed.

"Frown."

I looked at him like he was crazy. "What?"

"Give me the damn piece of chocolate." He said holding his hand out, not looking at me.

I placed a piece of chocolate in his palm and he quickly took it and tossed it in his mouth. I shook my head, laughing to myself. "I will never understand you."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well well well, it seems like our little Sabrina has a problem no? Anyway tell me what you thought of this chapter, I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. Too cheesy? Not enough emotion? Feel free to tell me!**

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	6. Heated

Sunsets will always be beautiful. In the Caribbean, in the mountains, in the desert, in an apocalypse; no matter where you are, they are breathtaking. As I sat on top of the RV with Daryl, I realized that even in this world which has been taken over by hell, beauty is still prominent. There are still things to look at and marvel.

I watched as the sky turned hues of red, orange, yellow, and purple, and let out a sigh of content.

"Ya act like you ain't never seen a sunset before."

I looked over at Daryl with a scowl on my face, ready to scold him, when I decided to instead explain, "I feel like we are so caught up with trying to survive, that we really aren't living, you know? What's the point of being able to avoid death, if our lives really aren't worth it?"

He raised an eyebrow at me, "Anyone ever told ya that ya think too much?"

I rolled my eyes at him and closed my eyes, drinking in the warmth of the sun and the momentary quiet.

"Daryl! Daryl! Where are you?" I heard a feminine voice call out.

So much for quiet.

"Daryl? Are ya up there?" The voice yelled once more. I recognized it as Carol, and I couldn't help but feel the same thing I had in the kitchen. That feeling in the pit of my stomach, almost like dread. But it couldn't be jealousy, I Sabrina do not get jealous, especially of guys like Daryl who I most certainly do not feel romantically towards. At all.

"Yeah I'm 'ere." Daryl said with a hint of annoyance.

I heard Carol trudge up the ladder until her head peaked out, "There you are. I brought some food for you." She handed Daryl a plate of warm potatoes and a hunk of meat, a shy smile on her face. I guess she was taking Lori's advice.

Daryl quickly muttered his thanks and took the food.

Just noticing me, Carol spoke, "Oh Sabrina, if I'd known you were with Daryl I would have brought you something! Are you hungry? I can run and go get you something?"

"No thanks I'm actually not hungry." I replied, really wanting her to leave.

"You sure? Well. There's always some in the kitchen if you want some." She responded quickly, her gaze still darting to Daryl. "If you want Sabrina, I could take over watch for you and you could go eat."

"Nope I'm good." I squeaked, probably too quickly because I saw Daryl raise his eyebrows.

I could almost feel the disappointment ooze from Carol, and I almost felt bad as she slipped away saying, "Alright, well tell me if y'all need anything."

When I knew she was gone, I let out a moan. Wanting to avoid what I knew was coming with Daryl, I just opened one eye to look at him. His eyebrows were still high on his forehead, and he was looking at me with a humored curious expression.

"What was that?" He questioned, I could see his lips forming his classic smirk.

I let out another groan, "I don't know. It's hard to explain." I looked at him full on and could see his skeptic look. His blue eyes told me that he could see right through me. I took this moment to observe his suntanned face. There were bags under his eyes from lack of sleep complimented by age lines by his eyes. How old was he?

"You gunna say somethin'?" He asked, breaking me from my thoughts.

I shook myself out of it and felt my face quickly heat up, "Yeah, just she… It doesn't matter." I began to play with the fabric of my shirt, looking out once more at the sunset, and feeling his gaze on me.

As the sun crept down the sky and away from sight, darkness took over and let its cold breath sweep over the farm. Slightly shivering I leaned over to light a match for our lantern when I realized that we were out.

"I guess I'll be right back." I said to Daryl, but was stopped by his voice.

"No I'll get it. Try not to do something stupid while I'm gone." He spoke dismissively, and I watched as he climbed down the ladder.

I couldn't bring myself to feel insulted; I knew that was his way of saying to be careful. I continued on with my watch, waiting to see something slither into my view. I knew what to do if they did, but I couldn't help feel nervous and anxious. The night when walkers attacked the camp at the quarry still haunted me, the screams of the living, and the snarls of the greedy walkers.

I closed my eyes hitting my head to try to get those memories out. I took a shaky breath and tried to think of other things. I thought about my messed up emotions, and how at first I was feeling something for Rick, a married man whose southern charm was unavoidable, and than those for Daryl, the complete opposite, but I could tell he hid the way he actually cared for people.

I needed to choose. And it needed to be soon.

But as I thought about it more, I realized that Rick was completely off limits, he was just reunited with his wife and son. I couldn't interfere with that.

And as I thought about it even more, I came to the conclusion that I didn't need a love life. The world was ending and this is what I was concerned with? No. That's not what I need.

As I came to that realization, I heard footsteps climbing up the ladder. Slipping out my knife, I stood up ready to face whatever would show up.

"Put tha' damn thing away before ya hurt yaself." Grumbled Daryl as he sat down in the chair, handing me a jacket and then bending over to light the lantern.

I reached out and took the jacket, surprised at his concern. "This is for me?"

He gave me a glare, "There anyone else here?"

"Wow…Thank you."

He grunted and avoided eye contact, "Don't over think it. God. I c'aint do anythin' round here without y'all makin' a big deal."

I gave his arm a light punch, feeling his muscles hurt my hand more than my punch. "Fine I'll just pretend that it didn't happen."

It was quiet for a few moments before I spoke again, "But-"

"Girl don't you shut up?"

I crossed my arms and pouted, proceeding to glare out at the empty field.

I heard him move quickly and I mentally panicked, thinking there was a walker, but I realized that he was moving towards me, and was leaning over me with his signature smirk, "What did I tell you about frownin'?"

With him so close to me I couldn't even think about what to do. I could feel his breath on my face, and I looked into his blue eyes, and felt my stubbornness come out, "Nah. I think I'll just sit here. And frown."

He raised his eyebrows at me, "Oh really?"

"Yup."

He stood up and started walking away, "Alright."

"Wait, where are you going?" I asked, slightly frantic. He ignored me and left. Jerk. Of course. He's probably going to Carol, nice job Sabrina. You could have kissed him, or something.

When he left I could feel the loneliness creep in. I stayed there for another hour until Dale came to relieve me of my position, "You need some sleep Sabrina. You've had a long day."

"No no, I need to pull my weight around here Dale, I'm good. You need some sleep too." I told him quickly.

He shook his head, "Honey, you've done more than pull your weight around here. Please, sleep."

I was losing the battle with my eyelids and I knew that I was no good on watch if I couldn't stay up, so I nodded to Dale and climbed down the RV. But when I got down, I had no idea where I was staying because our sleeping arrangements were so erratic. I figured that tonight, with Shane in the house trying to recover from a bullet, that Lori would want to sleep with Rick, and Glenn was nowhere in sight, I just kind of walked around aimlessly, until Rick came outside of the house.

His hair was disheveled, and his eyes looked exhausted. "Sabrina! There you are, I was just comin' out to find you."

"Hey Rick, how's Shane holding up?" I questioned.

His eyes flashed with sorrow as I mentioned his best friend, "He's holdin up, it was just a flesh wound thank god. Hershel wants him to rest a couple more days, but Shane wants to move around by tomorrow."

I let out a light humorless laugh, "Sounds like Shane."

Before Rick could speak again, I let out a huge yawn. "Oh sorry, I forgot. Lori wanted me to ask you something."

"Alright shoot." I replied, holding back another yawn.

"She was wondering if you could stay in the RV? She wanted to sleep with me and Carl tonight. Is that okay?" He asked me and I couldn't say no. Not when glimmer of hope shone in his eyes. He was just reunited with his wife and all.

"Yeah that's fine." I said, waving him off. "I'll talk to you later Rick, I'm going to head to bed."

"Night." He said quietly, and walked back into the house.

I made my way back to RV and called out to Dale, "Hey Dale, any room in the RV?"

He pondered the thought for a moment and then replied, "No I don't think so, why? Shane wants to sleep there?"

"No no just wonderin." I responded, and then started walking away. Well great. Where am I supposed to sleep now? I could feel the sleep poking at me, threatening me more and more.

I dragged myself over to the bench by the tree and sat down. Trying to think of who had space, all the while feeling incredibly lonely. Carol had Sophia, and now probably Daryl, Rick had Carl and Lori, Dale had Andrea, from the looks of it Glenn was starting to have Maggie. Who was I with? Was I really as alone as I felt?

I could feel tears prickling at my eyes, the realization dawning. My family was gone. My friends…oh god what had happened to them? Were they taken by those monsters, or had they been able to fight them off and were surviving like I was? I tears started spilling over and I grabbed my necklace, pulling it out of my shirt and opened it, revealing a picture of my two favorite people, my father and my best friend.

I held the locket in my hand and closed my eyes, trying to hear their voices one more time. Flashbacks of when the outbreak first started starting coming over me.

_It was the afternoon and I walked into the door, dropping my car keys in the bowl as I made my way through the house._

_"Dad? Hey I'm home!" I called out, stretching my sore muscles. My shift at the vet clinic was so long, and I made such little pay as an assistant. Taking a whiff of myself, I scrunched up my face. I smelled like dog. Ugh._

_"Dad you here?" I called out once more, surprised that he hadn't responded._

_"Yeah sorry in here." I heard his voice coming from the living room. I made my way over there and saw him, sitting in his recliner with the TV on. His crutches were perched carefully next to him. "Sorry this is just. Wow. Have you seen the news? Are you okay?"_

_"What? What do you mean?" I asked as I looked at the TV. There was a woman reporting from Atlanta, she was explaining an incident where a man bit another person, brutally ripping his flesh off. She was explaining how there were other reported incidents all across the city, and then proceeded to try and undermine the situation saying that the government was isolating the incidents and the public shouldn't worry._

_"Oh my god. In Atlanta? I didn't see anything while I was there." I responded as I shook my head._

_"Well to be safe, you should call in sick for a few days, till this all blows over." My father said, worried for my safety._

_"I'll be fine dad. How's your leg?" I asked, taking a look at his left leg which was perched carefully on a pillow._

_He sat up in his chair, "Really good actually. This day is better than most."_

I couldn't let myself relive more of those days, so I stopped the memory before it made me cry even more. I was so distracted by those thoughts that I didn't notice that someone was walking up to me, and so when I felt a pair of arms grab me, I started resisting.

"Girl calm down. Stupid bitch I'm tryin' to help you." I heard his deep voice say.

I let out a deep breath and let him pick me up, feeling the sleep starting to take over. "But-"

I was shushed by Daryl and brought into his tent, where he laid me down on a spare sleeping bag. "I overheard your conversations. Ya can stay here tonight, just get some damn sleep."

He didn't have to tell me twice, because before I knew it I was fast asleep.

* * *

><p>I woke up alone and disoriented. I was in a strange tent and for a moment I panicked, not remembering the night before. I stood up quickly, but felt dizzy soon after. "What the hell?" I exclaimed as the wave of faintness didn't quite go away.<p>

I tried to leave the tent, but because of my lightheadedness, I ended up falling out of the tent and onto the dirt. Spitting out the dirt, I groaned. "What a great start!"

"Sabrina! Are you okay? Here let me help you up." I heard Carol call out, and she rushed over to me, gripping my arm and pulling me onto my feet.

"Thanks." I mumbled to her.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" She questioned, looking me over.

I nodded, "Yeah I'm fine, just woke up really lightheaded."

She grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards the house, "You just need some food, its just because you haven't eaten in the past few days, so let's go get you some breakfast."

I complied and we both walked to the house, and she sat me down in the breakfast nook on a chair and quickly handed me a plate of eggs and toast. "Here. Eat, you need it."

I nodded and dug into my meal, with my first euphoric bite, I realized how hungry I really was, and quickly dug into my meal, finishing it faster than I have ever. Carol brought over a large glass of milk and I greedily chugged it down.

"Thank you, I didn't realize how hungry I was." I told her sheepishly. I was embarrassed at my own behavior, normally I had quite good table manners, but I guess those are all thrown out the window when people start eating each other.

"Don't worry about it. You start forgetting how hungry you are after a few days…" Carol replied sadly.

I nodded and took my dishes to the sink, rising them off and then leaving the house. I decided to go change clothes. I grabbed my bag out of Daryl's tent, I noticed it this morning when I woke up. I looked around for a clean change of clothing and found the last one. I took off all my clothes and grabbed a pair of clean underwear, and then quickly put on a pair of pants. Right as I clasped my bra on, I heard the tent entrance unzip, and I stupidly turned to face the intruder.

"Shit, I let ya spend one night in here and ya forget that this is my tent." Daryl grumbled, his face a bright red.

"What's the matter Daryl," I yelled out defensively at him, "Haven't seen these before?" I turned around to hide my blush and quickly slid my t-shirt on and then left the tent.

Daryl was surprisingly still waiting outside and I looked at him for an explanation, "Glenn and Maggie are goin' to the drugstore for medicine. Sophia's sick, an' Glenn wants ta know if ya need anythin'."

I thought about it for a moment, "Nope I'm good. Sophia's sick?"

Daryl nodded, he wasn't really one for words, and walked off. "Hey wait!"

He let out a deep sigh and turned on his heels, "Yeah girl?"

"Where are you going?" I asked, curious.

"The woods, I'm goin' to find some wood for our fire. Someone's gotta do somethin' round here." He said, and I could feel his words slightly sting.

"Fine then. I'm coming with you." I replied, crossing my arms over my chest.

He raised an eyebrow, "Oh really?"

I nodded, "Yeah."

"Alright fine with me. Jus' don't get in my way." He said as he walked back in his tent and grabbed something, then came out with a small bow in his hand. "Use this. Your gun will attract all them Walkers."

"One second, I'll meet you by the forest; I just want to go check on Sophia."

He rolled his eyes and nodded, proceeding to stalk off in the direction of the forest. I jogged over to the house, and saw Lori, "Hey, do you know where Sophia is?" I asked her, noticing how she looked slightly disheveled and nervous.

"Uhm yeah, she's upstairs in the first bedroom." She pointed with a shake hand. "Do you know if Glenn and Maggie have left yet?"

I shook my head in response, "I think they are down by the horses."

"Oh okay. Thanks." She said and quickly walked off.

That was weird, I wonder what she needs Glenn for? Forgetting that I walked up the stairs and made my way into the first bedroom like Lori had told me. The sight I saw was incredibly sad. Sophia was laid out on the bed, sweat dripping down her forehead in beads, her eyes open and panicked. Carol sat next to her, her face looking completely opposite from when she gave me breakfast.

"Oh Sophia honey, are you feelin' sick?" I asked her, sitting on the bed.

She nodded at me and Carol responded. "Right after I gave you breakfast, I came up here to wake her up and found her like this. It's some strange overnight fever."

I put my hand to Sophia's forehead to feel the heat radiating from her frail body. "Oh wow." I said, slightly taken aback by the intense warmth, knowing her temperature was at least 100 degrees. "But don't you worry, Glenn and Maggie are going to bring you back some medicine and Daryl and I are headed to the woods for a bit but when I get back I'll come here and tell you a story." Her eyes lit up and she nodded. I smiled back at her and started to leave the room, but Carol followed me out and she cornered me.

"So um, you and Daryl goin' off into the woods?" She asked me, avoiding my eyes. "You guys have gotten awful close huh? Were you sleepin' in his tent?"

I raised my eyebrows and turned around to face the Spanish inquisition. "Yeah we have." And instead of elaborating, I decided to be a bitch and just walk off, leaving Carol to think all about what could be happening, but isn't. To my dismay.

But as I got to the stairs I noticed Daryl standing there with a slightly amused look on his face. Ignoring him I just walked down the stairs and out towards the woods. "What tha hell are you an' Carol bitchin' about?"

I ignored him and kept walking to through the fields towards the woods.

"Girl I'm talkin' to you!" Daryl called, starting to catch up to me. I made it to the woods before he finally got to me and pushed me to a tree. "I said I was talkin' to you. The hell is wrong with you? What's goin on between you an Carol?"

"Why do you care?" I spat back at him. "You never want to mess with peoples business why are you messing with mine?"

I regretted the words right as they came out. "Daryl I-"

"No, it don't matter. Are ya going to stop being a stupid bitch and look for wood with me or what?" he said as he started walking off.

"We were talking about you." I spoke softly and Daryl stopped in his tracks.

"What?"

"You. You dumb hick we were talking about you!" I called out to him, my emotions coming out all jumbled and I was incredibly frustrated. I shouldn't be fighting with people in this group, especially over the affections of someone.

In an instant Daryl turned around, and pushed me up against a tree. "I-"

"Shut up." Daryl said and instead of just preaching, he made sure I didn't speak by sealing my lips shut with his.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hey guys! Things sure are getting heated huh? Sophia's sick, Shane's healing, Carol's jealous, Sabrina and Daryl are kissing! Well I guess I'll just have to update more often then huh? ;)**

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